


The Mechanics of a Heart

by GlitterAndSnow



Category: Frozen (2013)
Genre: Elsanna - Freeform, F/F, robot!Elsa, robot!au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-04
Updated: 2016-01-03
Packaged: 2018-03-05 07:10:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 23,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3110717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GlitterAndSnow/pseuds/GlitterAndSnow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Anna receives a Christmas gift: an android girl to follow her orders and service her family. It is not in this android's programming to want for herself, to feel for herself, to love for herself... or is it? Soon, Anna and her Elsa will find themselves connected in a way technology could have never imagined.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**_Welcome, dearies. Due to popular demand, what was once known as the robot!Elsa AU on Tumblr finally takes shape as a full-on story. Join me in this new adventure. I hope you enjoy this story._ **

**_::::::::::::_ **

**  
**

She was an early Christmas gift, or so her father said. He arrived one morning after a trip, with two men behind him carrying her in a box. They went all the way upstairs to leave her in Anna’s room, while her father explained what his gift was.

“It will keep you company during school break,” he said.

“What is it?”

“One of the new robots, you know, the androids. The ones that can do everything for you. They’re high technology, the latest from Japan. It can help you with your homework and be a sort of personal assistant. Not that you need any help, my smart girl,” he patted her cheek. “It cost a fortune, so be careful. All the instructions are in that booklet.”

Anna’s father opened the box and removed the bubble wrap. She was there, lying completely still. Smooth, quiet, beautiful. It reminded Anna of a coffin, that large box and a lifeless girl with her arms to the sides and her eyes closed.

“It looks good,” said Anna’s mother. “What’s its name?”

“It doesn’t have a name. We name it however we want.”

Anna looked up. “Don’t say ‘it’. She’s a girl.”

“Anna, it’s a robot.”

“So how does it work?” her mother asked before the conversation went another way.

“It charges with solar power. The guy told me that it has a full charge now. Once we turn it on we can fix its settings and program its chores. Apparently they will do absolutely anything you want them to do. Well,” he clapped his hands. “I have a meeting to attend. I leave it with you, Anna. Explore and have fun.”

Anna was left alone with the robot girl. She took her carefully out of the box and admired her. She looked just like a doll, with impeccable skin and silky hair blond to the point of appearing white. She was so peaceful, and so pretty…

After a lot of fumbling with the buttons on the nape of her neck, Anna managed to turn the android on. It made no sound, there were no twinkling lights or automaton voices anywhere. Anna waited. And then, she opened her eyes and stirred in her arms.

Anna jumped back, a little surprised. The android girl began moving experimentally, first the head, then the hands, then the legs. Her movements were fluid, not at all machine-like but absolutely human. She looked around and finally her gaze found Anna. The blue of her glass eyes was startling.

“Hi,” she said.

“Um, hi…”

The girl’s voice was husky, velvety. Anna had never heard anything so soft. The android looked around again. Anna rushed to help her get up.

“I’m sorry, this must all be so confusing.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m your android, right?”

“Yeah. I mean, when you say it like that… You’re not like just an android, I mean, you _are_ an android, but not some machine thing. And you’re not my android, or our android, well, my dad did buy you, but I don’t want you to feel like property. Does any of that make sense?”

The girl smiled. “Yes, it does. Thank you. May I ask your name?”

“I’m Anna. What’s yours?”

“I’m…” she stopped. “Well, I’m not sure I know. I don’t think I have a name. I think you’re supposed to choose it, so that it’s definitely something you like. You decide everything.”

“Really? Well, then we have to think about it, really think about it. I want you to like it, too, after all it’s your name.”

But first they had to configure her settings. According to the android girl there wasn’t much Anna could work on at the moment because most of her functions developed with use, as she interacted with Anna and her family and learned about their needs. Eventually, she would be customized to the smallest detail.

In the meantime, Anna grabbed her laptop and sat with the girl on the sofa. They synchronized her to the operative system and began to look up potential names for her.

“What about Julia? Or Diane?”

“Um…”

“Ok, let’s keep looking. Jessa? Caroline? Mary?”

“Maybe we should check another website.”

“Elsa,” said Anna suddenly.

“Where’s that one?”

“No, it’s not here. It just occurred to me. You look like a younger version of that Baroness from _The Sound of Music_.”

“Elsa…” the girl repeated. “Elsa… I like it. I really do like it a lot.”

“Done, then. Welcome to the family, Elsa.”


	2. Chapter Two

** Chapter Two **

**:::::::::::::::**

“So, do you want me to get started? Do you have anything you want me to do? I have permanent Wi-Fi connection, I can look up anything you need in milliseconds, and can get programmed into any task you desire. Also-”

Anna cut her. “Wait! Can we take it easy? There’ll be time for everything later.”

“Fine. What would you like to do, then?”

“Um… could we just talk?”

“Sure. What do you want to talk about?”

“I don’t know. You tell me about you, I tell you about me. Just talk, get to know each other. That kind of stuff. Come on, sit here with me.”

They sat on Anna’s bed and stared at each other for a while. Finally, Elsa began.

“Alright, then. How old are you, Anna?”

“I’m eighteen. Just turned eighteen.”

“So you’re in high school?”

“Yeah, this is my last semester. After that I’ll be going to college.”

“What will you study?”

“Biology. I was thinking of doing a double degree with Architecture, but I’m not sure yet.”

“Do you have any hobbies?”

“Uh… I play the piano, and sometimes I like to dance. I never took dance classes, though, I just freestyle. But enough about me. I want to know all about you.”

Finding a question proved difficult; Elsa had no backstory -or any memories whatsoever before Anna had turned her on- and it was also too early for her to have preferences or tastes.

“So, um, do you sleep? Eat? What kind of care do you need?”

“I don’t eat. In fact, food could harm me because of all the circuits inside me, so I cannot be given any. I don’t sleep, either, but you can put me on rest mode whenever you wish and I will not bother you.”

“No, no, I didn’t mean it like that. I just want to know how to take care of you properly.”

Elsa smiled. “Thank you, Anna, you’re very kind. There isn’t much to do, just make sure I’m charged. Other than that, I’m water resistant, bulletproof, and can stand heavy blows or crashes.”

“Wow,” breathed Anna. “That sounds awesome. What’s it like, being so cool?”

Elsa smiled, and looked down softly. “It’s the only life I know. But Anna, you too are really interesting. I mean, you know a lot, you have seen and done many things. That’s amazing.”

“Bah, just human things, nothing out of the ordinary.” Anna rolled her eyes. “By the way, you’ll be sharing this room with me, if that’s fine…? Great! You can use all that area for your stuff. Do you have stuff?”

“Just my box.”

“Oh, yeah, this thing. Wait, you say you only have your box? What about, I don’t know, everything else?” Elsa shook her head. “Clothes? How about clothes?”

“These and another change.”

That gave Anna an idea. “Then that’s what we’ll do. We’re gonna get you some clothes. Come on, we’re going to the mall!”

Anna rushed to get ready. Money had never been a problem to her, and she wanted her new friend to have all sorts of pretty things. Just to think of everything she’d get her made her happier than she’d been in a long time.

“Have you ever been on a hoverboard?” she asked, pulling hers out of the closet.

“No, never,” came Elsa’s reply. “Hey, that one comes from the same place I do.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, look.”

Elsa showed her the brand name on the back of the board, and then moved her hair to the side so that Anna could see the same name on the back of her left ear.

“I didn’t know Ishiguro made hoverboards,” Anna commented. “I thought they specialized on robotics.”

“The Ishiguro Company has many branches now. The main one is definitely robotics and androids like me, but it has started to work on new-generation transport systems.”

They headed downstairs and Anna mounted the board. Under her instructions, Elsa joined behind her, and sought a spot for balance.

Anna grabbed Elsa’s hands and placed them on either side of her waist.

“Come on, hold on to me.”

“You don’t mind?” Elsa asked.

“You can’t be worse than some guys I’ve gone out with.”

Anna’s body felt warm, even through the jacket. Elsa registered that warmth, just like she had saved the chirpiness of her voice, the softness of her skin, the red shades of her hair, the natural _thump-thump_ of her heart. Anna was her owner, wasn’t she? It was Elsa’s job to know her and appreciate her to the smallest detail, wasn’t it? As they rode to the mall, Elsa watched other girls and women they passed, and was convinced that there was none as pretty as the one she had been bought for.

Elsa had been distracted by her own analysis, and her grip on Anna loosened. Instantly, the human girl was securing her again.

“Hold on tighter, I can barely feel you. You know what? Hold under my jacket, that way you’ll be safer.”

Elsa could only assume the whirling of engines inside her body was a natural, programmed reaction to the contact.

Anna soon noticed the board’s movements were even smoother and faster than usual; behind her, Elsa seemed to have been born on the board.

“Wow, you’re a natural.”

“Its signal and mine got synchronized,” Elsa replied matter-of-factly. “The board balances both of us and since I’ve told it where we’re going it knows the way and you don’t have to do anything but enjoy the ride.”

“Wait a minute. You’re driving the hoverboard?”

“Yes.”

Anna sighed. “And here I was trying to make sure you didn’t get hurt.”

They arrived to the mall in record time. Once there they dismounted the board –Anna wanted to take their time walking into every shop, and the machine could easily follow behind them. They’d only gotten started when a new hoverboard caught up with them.

“Heyyy, Anna.”

“Oh, hello Hans.” Anna grabbed Elsa’s hand and quickened her step.

Hans matched her speed with his board. “Wait, wait, wait, not so fast. Christmas is coming, y’know.”

Without looking at him, Anna groaned an answer. “I do, Hans, what about it?”

“Well, I was thinking, perhaps you would like to come to my place, have some punch, cuddle by the fireplace, and who knows, maybe there’ll be mistletoe somewhere around-”

From the tone of Anna’s voice, it obvious the conversation had taken place many times before. “I thought I’d made it clear, Hans. I want nothing from you anymore. And I’m sure as hell not going anywhere near your place ever again.”

Anna tried to keep walking, but Hans grabbed her arm.

“Please, love, give me another chance-”

Instantly, Elsa stepped forward, getting between Anna and Hans.

“You heard her. She wants nothing from you. Now get lost.”

“Wow, who are you? I don’t think we’ve met. I mean, you can both come over if you want.” Hans looked her over, and appreciation turned to recognition. “Oh, I see, you’re one of the androids. You almost fooled me for a second. You’re so realistic!”

Hans reached out to touch Elsa’s face. This time it was Anna who got between them.

“Go away, Hans, and leave her alone. She’s mine.”

He snorted. “Protective of your new toy, aren’t you? Don’t worry, Anna, I’ve got _plenty_ of toys. You can come try them whenever you want. See you around. Bye, doll,” he called at Elsa.

One they had lost him Anna sighed in relief and annoyance. Then she turned to Elsa, and her voice softened.

“Sorry about that. Thank you for defending me.”

“Don’t mention it. It’s my job to detect a threat to you and deactivate it. Who’s that, anyway?”

“That’s Hans, my ex-boyfriend. We really didn’t finish in the best of terms, but he’s been trying to get me back with him.”

“Has he hurt you? Has he tried anything?” There seemed to be a hint of concern in Elsa’s voice.

“No, not really, but it’s still very unpleasant to see him. Whatever. I refuse to let that idiot ruin our day. Let’s continue.”

Anna soon put the incident behind her and focused all her attention in the significantly more important task of picking the most gorgeous clothes she could find for Elsa. Dresses, coats, beanies, shirts, flats, boots, no expense was too much for Anna. When she perceived Elsa’s newfound taste for lace and knit sweaters, the android girl found herself overloaded with them.

“Anna,” she eventually had to say, “it’s my job to protect you. And that also means protecting you from yourself. One more swipe of that card and you’re going to get yourself in huge trouble, and me along.”

“Don’t worry, Elsa, it’s fine. Look, just one more thing. If this fits you, we’ll take it and it’ll be the last one, okay?”

But, of course, it wasn’t the last one, not by far. Elsa was forced to intervene again.

“Anna,” she said for the tenth time, “I’ve told you I don’t need a bed. If you’re so concerned about it, get that divan. You can use it during the day and put me on it and set me on rest mode at night while you sleep and don’t need my presence. And that’s it. That’s it, Anna! Give me the card. No pouting, just give me the card. There you go. If we missed anything, we can always come back. I’m immune to puppy eyes, Anna, you’re wasting your time.”

Anna’s tantrum lasted a few minutes after they left that last store, but as soon as the mall music changed so did her mood.

“Oh, listen! I love this song, but I’m too lazy to look it up and I keep forgetting. Isn’t it pretty?”

“It’s a Korean pop song called _Mechanics of a Heart_. I just downloaded it to your laptop. Lyrics and artwork too.”

Anna beamed. “Elsa, you’re the best!” A gust of wind suddenly made her shiver. “Whooo! It’s getting more wintry here every day.”

“Are you too cold?” Elsa asked her.

“No.”

“You’re lying.” She looked at Anna’s face and touched her cheek with the back of her fingers. “Your skin feels cold and your pulse is rushing. At this rate, and with the speed of the hoverboard, you’ll be trembling by the time you get home. I suggest a coffee.”

“Sounds great. But I’m more the hot chocolate type.”

“Chocolate it is. There are fourteen places here where we can get hot chocolate. Which one would you like?”

Fourteen places? Anna had never noticed more than one or two. “Uh… Starbucks…?”

“Anna, you can do better than Starbucks. Look, averaging prices and customer reviews with variety in the menu, the best place to get your chocolate is Hot Mama, third floor to the right.”

Despite Anna’s doubts, Hot Mama proved to be the perfect choice. Five minutes later, Anna was proudly holding the largest cup known to mankind; the chocolate was light yet creamy, flavored but not overly sweet, and she had even been given a free cookie. It was perfect.

“Elsa, I definitely don’t know how I survived all these years without you,” she said with her mouth full.

The android girl laughed. “Hot mama,” she said, nudging Anna with her hip.

Anna stared at her, wide-eyed. “Excuse me?”

Elsa laughed again. “Come on, that was funny. I can tell you like a sense of humor.”

Anna began laughing, too, and shook her head. “You’re so much better than I imagined, really.”

She put her arm around Elsa’s and continued walking. The android girl stared at their joined limbs. Not one of the 1.7893 billion reactions her software instantly gave her felt the right one for the sudden overactivity of her circuits.

When they got home, Anna was only too eager to make Elsa model every single thing they had bought. Her parents, however, had other plans for the new robot and did want her to get started on her actual tasks.

Though Elsa was mostly Anna’s there were a few chores she would have to do for the entire family. She was showed around the house, and given instructions as to the rules she had to follow. To Anna’s relief, her father had accepted the android’s name and female identity, which spared them yet another uncomfortable argument on people and their pronouns.

“Alright, Elsa, your main job will be to take care of this little one here,” he patted Anna’s cheek. “I’ve been told you’re programmed with Asimov’s Rules of Robotics?”

“Yes, sir. Asimov’s Rules as accepted by the Code of Discipline and Ethics for Robots, Humanoids, and Androids.”

“Good, good. You’ll do nicely for my girl. Her curfew is one a.m. on weekdays, two on Saturdays and Sundays. Make sure she eats, she studies, she does well in school, and she doesn’t get pregnant.”

“Dad!”

“What? That is important. You can’t get pregnant, can you, Elsa?”

“No, I can’t.”

“Good. I don’t want anyone getting knocked up around here. Since Anna’s school insists on not allowing androids inside, while she’s there you will stay and help my wife. We’ve got cleaning help, so you’ll mostly assist with taking calls, running errands, going shopping with her, that kind of stuff. I’m seldom home, but if there’s anything I need I’ll let you know. Questions?”

“No, sir. If you allow me, I’ll tune myself to the signals on all the mobile devices in the house, so you can reach me whenever you desire.”

“Perfect. Well then, enjoy her, Anna. She’s all yours.”

Anna all but dragged Elsa back to her room. The first thing she did was listen to the song she’d caught at the mall; just as Elsa had told her it was ready for her. She lied in bed while she followed the lyrics with the translation Elsa had also provided.

“Thank you so much, Elsa. This song is beautiful.”

“I didn’t do anything. You were the one who liked it in the first place.”

“Yeah, but you got it for me. You’re helping me come out of my own mess.”

Anna’s smile was warm and sincere. This time, the software produced 2.1595 billion interpretations for that smile, and still none felt right. But before Elsa could pay more attention to that, her hyperactive owner decided to put her through the interrupted session of modeling. Horrified, Elsa managed to ask about Anna’s plans for the following day before anything happened. It worked; immediately Anna grabbed a small control and clicked. The air screen popped up.

“Hm, so let’s see… There’s a public concert at the main square tomorrow. I was thinking of going, wanna come with me?”

“Do you want me to go?”

“I’d love it.”

“Then I will.”

Anna groaned and tensed her fingers. She sat up and looked directly into Elsa’s eyes.

“No, not like that. I don’t want you to come with me because I tell you to, or because I ‘own’ you,” she made the quotation marks in the air. “I want you to come because you want to come, because you want to be there. I don’t want you to feel like a slave when we’re together. You’re my friend. So, do _you_ want to come to the concert with me?”

The specifications for the tenth generation of androids made it impossible for them to actually _want_ anything for themselves –if their owner wanted, so did they. Nothing more.

Anna would have known that, if she hadn’t spent her two years of Technology classes doodling and staring out the window. Yet now she didn’t, and she wouldn’t find out until much later. If she had known then, it might have saved them a lot of trouble. But she didn’t. Her android had no choice but to ask herself whether she wanted to attend the concert.

Elsa placed her hand on Anna’s. “I would love to go with you, Anna. I really would.”

And Elsa _wanted._


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! New chapter! Thank you so much for your support. Enjoy!

Elsa had never been to a concert. Evidently. That is why the following afternoon she didn’t let go of Anna’s hand as they walked into the main square.

“Will there be many more like me?” she asked Anna. Their walks together had gotten Elsa a lot of attention from random people on the street, and she really didn’t feel like going through more _oooh_ s and _aaahh_ s from curious humans.

“I guess. It’s hard to tell, you guys look so much like us. But hey, don’t worry, I’m here with you. I know it’s awkward to have people wanting to touch you and ask you questions all the time, but believe me, these are all music nerds and don’t care much for anything else.”

They picked up their programs and found their seats. Elsa quickly found a few signals from fellow androids in the concert, and felt relieved. However, though a couple of them tried to start a conversation with her, Anna’s enthusiastic talk about what they were about to hear was much more appealing.

“It’s a symphonic orchestration of The Beatles’ music. It’s their one hundred and fiftieth anniversary and everyone’s trying to do the most original tribute. But I think nothing can beat a full-on orchestra version of _All you need is love_.”

Anna spoke with such excitement that Elsa couldn’t help rolling her eyes. She had known that little thing for twenty-four hours, yet it felt like forever. Maybe it was the fact that Anna was the first person Elsa had ever seen or talked to, or that she was her first memory and pretty much everything she knew. Something, something set Anna apart.

Needless to say, Elsa had unlimited access to every piece of knowledge the world have ever produced… yet Anna was the only one Elsa could be sure was true. How could she be certain of the foreign landscapes and places her system showed her? Did they even exist or were they just holograms? Yet the girl drumming her fingers and nodding her head to the sounds couldn’t be doubted.

“I love this kind of music,” Anna continued during the intermission. “You know, with actual physical instruments. I mean, the digital ones and the hologram music is nice and all, but the real thing is so much prettier.” After a pause, she added. “Do you like it?”

“Of course I do,” Elsa was quick to answer. “You were right, it’s really beautiful. I think you have a very special taste for music. I heard you play the piano last night, you’re really good, Anna, you really are. Have you ever considered going professional?”

“Sometimes. But it’s more like wishful thinking, I mean, who lives off being a pianist these days? Plus I really do like Biology, so if I can make a decent living out of something I actually enjoy, all the better. Oh, it’s about to start. Are you ready for the grand finale?”

To Anna’s immense delight, when they got back home she found that Elsa had recorded the entire concert and polished the audio so that only the music and no voices could be heard. They played it during the entire week, while Anna tried to catch up with some holiday homework and Elsa drew pictures on the redhead’s old textbooks.

Anna’s attempts at responsibility failed surprisingly quick. Something else kept stealing her attention, to the point she could only focus on that. On _her._ Anna found herself constantly watching Elsa work under the sunlight. It was a mesmerizing sight: the brightness didn’t seem to bother her eyes, and the movement of her hands over the paper flowed easily, not one trace of robotness in her.

Even though she was working with charcoal her fingers weren’t smudged. Her loose ponytail allowed several flyaway hairs onto her face. They caught the light and glittered prettily. _She’s so beautiful_ , Anna thought.

“You’re staring at me,” Elsa commented without looking up.

“I’m sorry,” Anna replied, blushing. “It’s just that…” _…you’re so beautiful._ “What’s your skin made of?” she blurted out instead.

“Silicone. It’s 3D-printed from human references so it looks as natural as possible.”

“Wow. It does look real. Would you mind if I… wait, no, never mind.”

“What? Anna, you know you can ask me anything.”

“I just… oh, fine. Would you mind if I touch it?”

Elsa smiled reassuringly. “No, of course not.” She got up from the divan and went to sit on the floor next to Anna. “Go ahead.”

Anna took Elsa’s hand in hers. She examined, looked at the android’s fingers and carefully manicured nails. Flawless. Elsa was smooth, and though she had been made to resemble humans as much as possible, there was a silky quality to her skin that set her apart. Anna then carefully touched Elsa’s palm, traced all the lines carved with detailed randomness, and placed it back down. Elsa stared at Anna’s pursed lips and the way she avoided meeting her eyes.

“Would you like to touch more?” she asked her human.

“What do you mean?” stammered Anna, feeling her heart accelerate.

“I don’t know. You seem curious about it, you can feel more if you want.”

Though somewhat hesitantly, Anna brushed Elsa’s face with the back of her hand. Elsa didn’t move, or show any emotion. She sat quietly while Anna switched to her fingertips, touching her cheekbones, her forehead, her eyelids.

The android girl’s system slowed, everything pausing under her command to focus all energy on Anna’s touch. Her carefully crafted skin didn’t miss one variation in pressure or speed, and registered everything. _She likes my cheeks. She keeps touching my cheeks. She’s touching my hair. Does she like it? She put a strand behind my ear, maybe she doesn’t like the hair on my face._

Finally, Anna’s hand left. Elsa opened her eyes and her system went back to full operation.

“Thank you,” said the human softly.

“Any time.”

Anna took a couple of seconds to form her next sentence.

“Um… you can touch me, too, if you want to. I mean, you let me touch you, so… it’s fair.”

Elsa smiled; she knew more about Anna’s skin than Anna herself. Still, the girl was trying to reciprocate and be kind with her android. Why not take her offer?

Slowly, she raised her hand and cupped Anna’s face. She stroked her cheek, covered in a dusting of freckles. She ran her thumb over Anna’s cheekbone, and then over her lips.

And then it hit. Elsa realized she knew all about human skin, but nothing about _Anna’s_ skin. She knew exactly how a person’s epidermis was formed and how it was supposed to feel like, yet was absolutely clueless as to how _Anna’s_ skin would be to her touch. Anna’s skin was warm, Anna’s skin was uneven, it had a scar here and a mark there and freckles _everywhere_. It was authentic, honest and beautiful in a way that Elsa’s lab-achieved glow would never be.

Her hand slipped to Anna’s bare arm, fingers sliding down the spotted surface. Inside her, circuits tried to communicate and establish a reaction to what she was perceiving. But none felt right. Anna had been quite unexpected.

Elsa’s eyes dropped down to the V-line of Anna’s shirt. She could distinguish the shapes underneath, very much like the ones Elsa herself had. But Elsa’s body, though generously formed, was nothing except resin, silicone, foam, and gold circuits. She could hear Anna’s heartbeat –Anna actually had a heart, not a programmed setting that would mimic the pulse where there where only wires.

Once again, her system began to shut the parts it didn’t need to touch Anna. Something else stirred instead, another part of her configurations that hadn’t been active before. It felt more effortless, more instinctive, a behavior that simply was, simply happened. If Elsa had known better, it would have alarmed her. But how could she have known, if her makers were so sure of themselves that it didn’t occur to them someone like her could exist?

Elsa felt a strange tingle under her skin, an urge, a buzzing. She wanted to touch more, to keep feeling Anna. But she shouldn’t. But something in Anna’s eyes was so inviting. But she definitely shouldn’t, but she wanted, and why she shouldn’t and why she wanted Elsa couldn’t say.

To face the confusing signals she was getting from her human girl and her own settings, the software protected itself by fleeing the stimulus. That is, Elsa suddenly dropped her hand and moved away.

“What happened?” Anna asked.

“I… I don’t know.”

“Did I do anything?”

“No! I mean, of course not. I don’t know what happened. Please forgive me.”

Elsa hurried back to the divan and turned the music’s volume up. She resumed her drawing, but still felt Anna’s eyes on her. She looked up briefly and Anna averted her gaze, making a point of reading her Biology notes. No mention of the episode was ever made again, but it never left their minds.

One morning, as Elsa came back from rest mode, she saw Anna jumping and bouncing merrily on her bed.

“Elsa!” she chanted. “You know what day tomorrow is?”

Elsa beamed. “It’s Christmas.”

“Yes! Aren’t you excited?”

“I suppose.”

“No! ‘I suppose’ is not the answer! You should say ‘Yes, I’m hella excited because Christmas is the best time of the year and I can’t wait!’”

“If you say so,” the android laughed.

“I do! And now come up here and jump with me!”

Elsa joined her atop the bed. Anna held her hands and made her spring along. The data stored inside Elsa matched the behavior to an eight-year-old’s, but Anna was too enchanting in her joy to turn her down.

“Isn’t this fun?”

“It is,” Elsa admitted. Then she spotted something out the window and it was her turn to be excited. “Oh, but look! It snowed last night!”

They both rushed to admire the sight. A white sheet covered the street and the cars and the trees, and when Anna opened the window a chilly air filled the room.

Elsa side-eyed Anna, and a smirk appeared on her face.

“Do you wanna build a snowman?”

Anna’s eyes lit up. “Yes! Come on, come on, come on!”

Elsa turned around and patted her shoulders. “Here, Anna. I’ll carry you.”

“Wait, what?”

“I’ll carry you on my back. Come on, up up up.”

Anna climbed up, securing her thighs around Elsa’s waist and her arms around her neck. Once she was secured, Elsa began to run.

“Aaaahh! Elsa!”

“I’m an airplane!”

“Elsa!”

“Bruuuuum!”

They rushed down the stairs, calling a distant hello to Anna’s parents, and finally landed on a mountain of snow.

“That was amazing!” Anna exclaimed.

“I thought you would like it. You’re a great passenger, by the way. The crew appreciates it.”

“Ha! Thank you. Now, our snowman…”

If they had been able to give life to their creations, Anna and Elsa would have owned a powerful army after a couple of hours. A row of snowmen stood proudly on the garden, decorated with all sorts of branches and leaves. They built boys, and girls, and puppies, and bears, and each one of them got a name and an outfit.

Delighted, Anna began a round of tag that had them running and zigzagging around the figures. When she finally collapsed on the snow from exhaustion, Elsa pretended to lose the game and crashed next to her.

“Smile,” Anna panted as she pulled out her phone.

Elsa rested her head on Anna’s shoulder and posed. Anna took the picture and then turned to Elsa. She gave the android a kiss on the cheek and took another picture of Elsa’s startled face as she received the touch.

They went back upstairs to rest, Elsa trying to comfort Anna about the fact that she wasn’t allowed to open her presents yet.

“It’s because they still need my approval,” she joked. “If I find you’re getting another me you can bet she’ll be on her way back to Japan before sunrise.”

“Yes she will, because _I’ll_ be sending her back.”

But once they were in Anna’s room, the redhead’s voice took a different shade.

“Elsa? I… well, I’m not sure if this is common in Android-land, or if I’m breaking some protocol here, but… I got you something for Christmas.”

Anna produced a little box from her drawer, prettily wrapped in creamy paper and a golden bow.

“Oh, Anna, you really shouldn’t have.”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s a trinket, it’s nothing special. Just thought that I should give you something today. Why are you looking at me like that?”

Elsa’s smile had changed, and Anna could have even said she looked nervous.

“Anna, it’s just that… I got you something, too.”

Elsa reached into her bag and produced another box, of a similar size but wrapped in silver paper. She offered it to Anna timidly.

“I hope you like it.”

“I hope you like yours,” murmured the redhead.

They opened the boxes simultaneously. Anna gasped, and Elsa closed her eyes and let out a laugh.

“We got each other the same thing,” said Anna, half laughing, half shaking her head in embarrassment.

The girls took the bracelets out. They were made of woven green silk, twisted into a complicated pattern. Golden beads gave the finishing touches.

“Well,” Elsa declared. “I love my gift.”

“And I adore mine.”

They tied the bracelets around each other’s wrist and admired the look. There was a secret delight in both of them at the idea of sharing something so visible.

“I will never take it off,” Elsa promised with a smile.

“Neither will I. We’ll be friends forever, won’t we? I know! We’ll be sisters. Don’t you want to be my sister?”

Anna stared hopefully at Elsa.   _Oh no, did that sound too cheesy? Am I being absurd? Gosh, Anna, why are you so-_

“I’ll be anything you need me to be, now and forever,” answered Elsa. “And because I _want_ to,” she added, with a light caress on Anna’s chin to punctuate her words.

Suddenly, Anna put her arms around Elsa. The warmth, the pressure, the closeness, took the android girl by surprise. _It’s only a hug_ , she thought. _Just hug her back_. And so she did.

Elsa was strong, a hardened body with physical power she hadn’t yet learned to master. But being so tightly held was no problem for Anna. Wrapped in Elsa’s arms, Anna had the impression that nothing bad would ever, ever happen to her as long as her new sister was there.

“Merry Christmas, Elsa.”

“Merry Christmas, Anna.”

::::::::

“Elsa, I’m bored.”

Evenings and nights were a quiet affair in Anna’s house. Her parents would be working in their separate stuff until late, and she would spend hour after hour in her room trying to find new things to do.  The new year had brought a new work project for her father, which meant he was spending even less time with Anna than usual. But now, finally, she had company.

“Well, what would you like to do?”

“Um… I know! Sit here beside me.” She patted a spot on the bed, right next to her, and Elsa followed. “Elsa, do you know the app that lets you, like, find images and project them? It’s called AtmoMood or something like that.”

“Yeah, sure. What would you want to see?”

“Do you have anything skyish?”

“Skyish? What kind of sky do you have in mind? I’ve got Northern Lights, dawns, twilights, the sky in Lambda, in Venus, in Asteroid B612…”

“Something big. Something that makes me feel tiny and believe in magic. Like stars and stuff.”

“Let me see. Close your eyes or you’ll ruin it.”

Elsa activated the air screen via her wireless. She browsed through a few options until she found one that Anna would like. The screen morphed into an image projected on all walls and the roof.

“Okay. You can look now.”

“Whoa,” Anna murmured. They were no longer in her room –every surface was covered in stars and planets, distant points of light that were millions of years away and spheres that felt close enough to touch. The universe moved slightly, not so fast that Anna would get dizzy, but enough to make her feel minuscule and at the same time part of a bigger plan. _This is real. This is happening right now._

“Do you like it?” Elsa asked.

“It’s perfect. What’s this galaxy? It’s not ours, is it?”

“No, it’s Labrys.”

“Something tells me I should know more about it than I actually do.”

“It was discovered twenty years ago. It looks a lot like the actual Labrys symbol, you know, the axe, and so the scientists decided to call it like that. It’s got at least a hundred planetary systems like ours. It’s really far, but scientists are trying to find a way to get there to see if there’s life there like there was in Andromeda.”

“That’s so cool…”

“I know…”

Anna watched Elsa from the corner of her eye. The android breathed calmly, watching the galaxy with the same wonder Anna felt. Looking at her in that moment, it was impossible to tell that she wasn’t human.  The expression on her face was just as fascinated as Anna’s own.

Anna leaned back onto the pillows, and Elsa followed. Lying side by side on the bed, the human girl had never been so emotionally close to anyone before. Oh, there had been boys, a few here and there, but none had come this far; certainly none had reached her bed. Yet now there she was, resting her head on a robot’s shoulder while the music from her concert (their concert, Anna now liked to think) played softly in the background.

She reached for Elsa’s hand. The blonde’s thumb ran across her skin. They remained silent, their star-covered bodies close together and peaceful.

And Anna wouldn’t have it any other way.


	4. Chapter Four

04

“Anna, wake up.”

“Mmhññ…”

“Anna, come on, wake up.”

“Mññno…” Anna wailed.

“Anna, it’s your first day of school. Come on, let’s get you ready.”

Elsa cradled Anna in her arms and gently pulled her out of bed.

“Want me to make you breakfast?”

“Elsa, you’re not my maid.”

“I just want to make this day easier for you. Come on, get dressed and I’ll cook you something meanwhile.”

Anna finally stood up and began looking for her clothes. When Elsa returned, she carried a tray full of the most delicious food Anna had ever tasted. While she ate, the android braided her hair into some complicated hairstyle with a ribbon.

“Oh, you look so pretty,” commented Elsa enthusiastically.

For all answer, Anna yawned. Elsa took her gently by the hand and led her downstairs.

“Alright,” she began, “so I’ll take you to school from now on. You know the rules don’t allow androids inside, so while you’re in there I’ll run some house errands. I’m going grocery shopping, do you need anything?”

“I’m fine, thank you.”

Elsa checked Anna’s hair one more time, and declared her perfect.

“You’re going to stun them. Ready?”

"Never. Let’s go, we can ride my bike."

Anna’s bike was one of her most valued treasures. A gift from a couple of birthdays ago, it had been her companion through a lot of adventures. It was strong and reliable, and now even better thanks to Elsa.

Anna took the back seat. “You drive this time,” she announced to Elsa, “that way I can sleep a bit more on our way.”

"Anna, if you sleep while on the bike you’ll fall off and die."

"Well, I’m hoping you’d catch me on time."

Elsa rolled her eyes took the lead of the bike. She had been working on it under Anna’s request and that’s how the second seat had been added, along with brighter lights, a claxon, and a remote control system like the one the hoverboard had.

She soon realized how Anna planned to stay in place while sleeping –she put her arms around Elsa’s waist and rested her head on her shoulders. Anna wiggled on her seat until she found the perfect position and sighed contently.

For a girl her size, Anna’s grip was immensely strong. She held Elsa close and tight and made herself comfortable. It was an easy thing to do; she trusted Elsa immensely, and the android’s body provided an extraordinary pillow. _This is so good… I really don’t deserve this kind of good…_

Above them, a train passed with a blur. Its silent power fascinated Elsa.

"Have you ever taken the train?" she asked.

“Mhm,” answered Anna. “But it’s too fast for my liking, you can’t even notice the things around you.”

“It’s the microbots. Their magnetic force is too powerful and that enhances speed.” Elsa watched as another train passed by.

“I know that, it’s meant to be super efficient and super cool. But I still don’t like it. I’m sure Hiro Hamada never meant for his stuff to deprive us of the world going on around us.”

After her last remark Anna fell silent. It didn’t take long for Elsa to realize that, true to her promise, the redhead was deeply asleep. Her grip on her did not lessen one bit, but her body softened over Elsa’s. The android tried to warm herself in order to provide some heat for Anna given the morning chill, and heard the human make a small noise of contentment.

Elsa did not disturb her for the rest of the ride, and only woke her up when they reached the school. Once there, Anna began wailing again.

“Hug hug hug,” she chanted, reaching out for Elsa with open arms.

Elsa hugged her and patted her back. She cradled Anna and waited for her tantrum to subside.

“Come in with me,” pleaded Anna. “No one can tell you’re not human. We'll tell them you're the new girl."

"Anna, I'm afraid everyone knows what I am. It's not like you've been discreet about your Christmas gift.”

Anna made another gesture of distaste. Elsa cupped her face gently.

“Hey, hey, what’s going on? Is there any reason in particular you don’t wanna go in? Does anyone do something you’re not comfortable with?”

Anna realized she had overreacted when she saw there was true concern in Elsa’s face, and blushed as she shook her head.

“No. I just complain because I don’t want to lose the freedom I had these days, and I hate waking up early.  And I’m really going to miss you.”

Elsa laughed, relieved. “It’s only a few hours, you silly, it’s not forever. But I’ll be within reach if you need me. Here, have this,” Elsa handed her a tiny piece that looked like an earplug.

“What is it?”

“It’s a wireless auricular. I have one, too, and we’ll use it to stay communicated throughout the day. The controls are installed in your watch. Just press this button here and you can talk to me anytime.”

“You take such good care of me,” smiled Anna.

“Of course I do. You’re my girl.”

Something stirred in Anna’s stomach upon hearing that. She’d always hated the idea of being called someone’s girl, but now that it was Elsa who said it Anna realized she didn’t mind. On the contrary, it was pleasant. Nice. She was Elsa’s to protect. Anna had the sudden impression that as long as Elsa was with her, nothing bad would happen.

She hugged her once more and walked into the building.

“I’ll be here to pick you up,” Elsa called after her.

Anna was halfway through the main garden when she heard his voice.

“Heyy, Annie, how’s it going?”

She sighed. “What do you want, Hans?”

“Talk, just talk. You know, I just got a job. A really good one, at the Ishiguro Company. Remember I was top of my Robotics class last semester?”

“I don’t remember, Hans, and I honestly don’t care.”

Hans was unfazed by her remark. “It’s really good. It won’t take me long to make my way to the top. Do you still want me to work on your bike? I remember you once said you wanted to upgrade it. I’d do it for free. And maybe even buy you dinner afterwards.”

“My bike has been upgraded, thanks. I don’t need your help.”

Hans glanced at the bike. “Ah, I see. I’m guessing your robot did it? Are they as good as they say? I’ve been thinking of getting one myself.”

“So you can be even more useless than you already are? I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

“C’mon Anna, don’t be so mean to me. Look, even if you’ve done your bike, my offer on the dinner is still standing. Pick you up at eight?”

Finally losing her patience, Anna glared at him, her usually sweet blue eyes turned icy.

“If you ever talk to me again the only thing you’ll be picking up will be your teeth off the ground. Get lost and leave me alone.”

Anna hurried past him to the first class of her last semester. If everything went well, she’d get her acceptance letter for the International Institute of Biology in a few weeks, pack her stuff right after her April exams, and hopefully never see the jerk again. And she’d take Elsa along, no matter what stupid rules schools had about androids.

Anna tried, she really tried, but after the first hour she couldn’t handle it anymore. Taking advantage of her seat at the back of the room, she put on the auricular and pressed the buttons.

“Elsa?”

“Anna? How are you? Do you need anything?” Elsa’s voice sounded perfectly clear.

“Not really, I’m just bored and I wanted to talk.”

“Why are you whispering?”

“’Cause I’m in class.”

“Anna!”

“Sorry.”

“Ah, it’s ok, I suppose I should be grateful you’re in the classroom at all. What’s your class?”

“Genetic engineering. We’re discussing the process to have a child who possesses enhanced traits and physique from birth.”

Anna sighed, and Elsa decided to stay silent. She knew that Anna herself was one of those enhanced children –her parents had been hoping for an athlete. Anna’s decision to pursue an academic career instead was a cause of permanent strain in the house.

Since Elsa hadn’t completely figured out Anna’s stance on having been designed from conception, she decided to change the topic.

“Hey, you sound upset. Is everything alright?”

“Yeah. I just… I ran into Hans, you know, my ex, and it wasn’t nice.”

“Did he do anything? Should I kill him? Do you want me to go get you?”

“No, no, I’m fine. It’s just… it’s uncomfortable. But I’ll survive.”

Anna made it through the couple of hours she had left by doodling and reading under the table. When the last class was over, she rushed to the exit of the building.

True to her word, Elsa was waiting for her. When she saw her, Anna felt a sort of warmth she’d never experienced.

They took the same positions on the bike, only this time Anna was fully awake now, and could hold herself up. The ride home felt shorter than the morning one, and once Anna was back in the safety of her room, she plopped herself on her bed and groaned.

“How was school?” Elsa asked her.

“Fine, I guess. Boring. All that stuff I’ve studied a hundred times over, you know, ‘cause I had to take the advanced courses to apply to the Institute… I didn’t hear anything new today.”

“You’re so smart,” said Elsa proudly. “You’ll be top of your class and you’ll get to give a beautiful speech when you graduate.”

“I hope so. That way I can tell everybody just how dumb they are. How was your day?”

“Just as exciting as yours. But I did see a lot of new places and made friends with a rabbit who lives a few blocks from here. I’ll take you to meet him. By the way, I bought you cheese. Your favourite.”

That brought more light to Anna’s eyes. "Thanks! How did you know it’s my favourite?"

"Last time you ate the entire package in two days.” Elsa rolled her eyes.

Anna laughed, and then pursed her lips as she looked at Elsa hesitantly.

“You are about to ask me something,” the android guessed.

Anna struggled with words for a while.

“Could you…” she eventually managed to say, “could you make me a grilled cheese? I know I shouldn’t be asking that, I don’t want you to feel like I want you to serve me, but you make them so good, I don’t know what you put in them, but they’re amazing, and I was wondering if I could… have… one… yes?”

Anna was blushing furiously, but Elsa’s eyes were full of tenderness.

“Want to come to the kitchen with me? I also bought you chocolate milk.”

Anna’s smile was brighter than Christmas. For a moment, she considered asking Elsa if she could ride on her back like she had once done, but decided against it. _You can’t be so demanding, Anna. One thing at the time._ Instead, she gave Elsa’s hand a gentle squeeze and followed her on foot. There, that was much more civilized.

Elsa led the way to the kitchen, aware of Anna’s footsteps behind her. _You fool. You could have asked her to ride on your back._

***

Even when a robot is on rest mode, it’s very design prevents it from ever being truly deactivated. Its job consisted on always being there, present and alert for when its owner needed anything. No matter how deep its pretended slumber was, the slightest abnormal activity would bring a robot back to action.

That is why Elsa found herself wide awake in the middle of the night: her system was reporting some kind of distress from Anna. She was still in bed, but her body rocked in waves, and she breathed in short gasps. Her eyes were closed and she seemed extremely focused.

_Heartbeat accelerated, blood flow irregular. Is she dying? Is she having a heart attack?_

The bed covers were around Anna’s waist. One hand came up frequently and roamed her torso; the other one wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Anna swallowed back a moan and folded her leg; a lot of activity appeared to be going on between-

Realization dawned on Elsa. _She’s… oh._ Elsa tried to find a way, any way, to shut herself off and give Anna privacy, but her system was stubbornly trying to deal with a distress signal. _Can I make it to the bathroom without her noticing?_

But, concentrated as Anna seemed to be, Elsa knew she would notice, and so she decided to look at the ceiling and browse pictures of puppies with the built-in lens inside her eyes. Anna continued, her breath more irregular and her movements quicker. Elsa tried to be as still as possible to avoid making the moment even more awkward.

Finally, Anna moaned quietly and her whole body tensed. She threw her head back and panted, then grabbed the cover with one hand while the other moved frantically under the sheets. Her lips parted in a silent cry.

It lasted a few seconds and then, drawing deep breaths, Anna rolled her head and turned to the side… right into Elsa’s open, terrified eyes.

“Elsa! Oh shit, oh shit, I’m sorry.”

“No, no, _I’m_ sorry.”

“Did you see… everything?”

Elsa nodded. “I wanted to go and leave you alone, but I didn’t want to disturb or interrupt. I mean, you seemed so into it…”

The darkness was no obstacle for Elsa to see Anna’s face, redder than her hair. “I’m sorry. It’s just been an awfully stressful week, and I needed a break. I didn’t mean to offend you.”

“No, no, no, you don’t have to apologize. You could never offend me. If that works for you, if it makes you feel good, that’s what counts.”

“Yeah, well, it’s something at least.”

“Have you ever done it?” asked Elsa. “All the way?” Immediately, she covered her face with her hands. “I’m sorry, that was a terribly insensitive question, I shouldn’t have-”

But Anna placed a hand on hers. “No, don’t worry. You’re the only person I don’t mind asking me that. And well, um, no, actually I haven’t. Waiting for the right one to arrive and all that.”

“Oh, I see,” nodded Elsa, trying to mask her relief. “I thought maybe that boy, the one you dated…”

Anna shook her head with a side grimace. “Nah. He had my best friend for that. And the girl next door. And the daughter of a friend of his father. You get the idea.”

Elsa observed Anna. How someone would deliberately step on Anna, cheat on Anna, make Anna suffer, was beyond her understanding. She was so precious… Anna appeared to her as something extremely pure, something that needed to be guarded and protected at all costs.

Elsa would have liked to tell her all this, but she sensed the human girl was tired; her preferred method of relaxation was apparently quite effective. And so Elsa only kissed the redhead’s temple and tucked her in.

“You sleep now, little one. Sweet dreams.”

Elsa looked Anna over one last time to make sure she was fine. Her gaze fell on the girl’s lips. Her smile froze for a moment. Something inside her buzzed.

“Elsa? Is everything okay?”

She didn’t answer. Avoiding Anna’s eyes, she quickly rose from the bed and headed to her divan.

“Sleep, Anna.”

Elsa lay down with her back to the human, but was still able to hear when she fell asleep. She listened to Anna’s breath, calmed and even. There was no need for a distress signal anymore, but Elsa still felt uneasy. Back and back again came that image of Anna’s lips, and the sounds of immense pleasure she’d made just minutes earlier. Together, they tormented Elsa relentlessly.

She lay awake for the rest of the night, trying to burn away those thoughts.

But something told her, they were just getting started.


	5. Chapter Five

For a creature who could do complex calculations in milliseconds, remotely control anything from bikes to cars and even flying machines, trace routes, monitor human physical wellbeing, look up information instantly, and tune itself into any language, Elsa’s life was pretty boring.

Her tasks mostly consisted on keeping the house in one piece while the family was out, doing some chores, grocery shopping, and making payments. She was still trying to understand what set her apart from any human maid.

The difference, probably, was Anna. Besides running the house, she also had to nanny the girl, drive her around, make sure she stayed safe and had everything she needed. Taking care of Anna always brought new experiences because the girl was unpredictable. Anna told stories and jokes, and was always up for something new. Anna gave a different flavor to Elsa’s everyday life.

Anna made it all worth it.

She was at school now, and Elsa was rather lonely. She had been trying to check on Anna, but the human had insisted she was fine and had insisted that Elsa stopped ‘babying’ her. Elsa had stopped pressing and turned to other duties.

Now, however, Anna too was wishing Elsa was there with her. When she came out of her classroom Hans was waiting for her. She quickened her step, pretending she hadn’t seen him.

“Hey, Anna,” he called behind her.

Anna ignored him and continued on her way. He followed her, grabbed her wrist, and turned her around.

“I’m talking to you.”

Anna tried to shake him off.

“Hans, let me go!”

“I don’t want to hurt you, Anna, I only wanted to talk.” He released her. “Are you going to the dinner tonight?”

The dinner! Anna had forgotten. Every year, Merida’s family, a wealthy Scottish dynasty with money and businesses all over the world, hosted a dinner with similarly powerful families. Both Hans’ and Anna’s families were considered every time.

“I don’t know, Hans. I actually have somewhere else to be, so probably I won’t be going.”

“What do you mean you’re not going? Everyone goes to that dinner. I’ll see you there. Maybe once we’re there we’ll manage to go somewhere more private, hm…?”

He tried to stroke her face. Anna pushed him away brusquely.

“Don’t ever lay a hand on me again. I’d rather go to hell than anywhere with you.”

She walked away. This time, only his eyes followed her path.

::::::::

“Anna, if he threatened you we have to do something.”

Elsa paced around Anna’s room. It had already taken a lot of convincing from Anna to stop her from hunting Hans herself. Anna made a face as she listened to Elsa’s anger.

“It’s my job to protect you. Why didn’t you call me the moment this happened? I would have arrived in minutes and given him what he deserves.”

“I don’t want to cause trouble. If I make a fuss about it, it’ll be like giving him spotlight, making him feel important to me. That’s exactly what he wants and I won’t give him that pleasure.”

“Anna, if he hurts you I-”

“No, he won’t. He’s too much of a coward for that. Besides, with all his family influences and his new super job, he won’t risk it.”

“Well, what about the dinner? I don’t want you to miss it, we have to make sure he doesn’t go so you can be there.”

“Oh, I hate the dinner. It’s awfully boring. If anything, I could use this as an excuse to stay home. But… My parents would want to stay with me, and it’s important that they attend. A lot of business is conducted during that dinner. I have to find a way to stay home without harming their interests.”

But as the hours passed, Anna failed to come up with something that would help her. All her ideas involved ruining the whole evening for her parents, something she knew would be extremely harmful to their position. Little by little she resigned herself to attending the dinner and concentrated her efforts on a plan to avoid Hans.

When it was almost time, she heard her mother from the living room.

“Anna!”

The redhead hurried downstairs. Her mother stood next to Elsa, who sat inert on the sofa, eyes closed and expressionless.

“Did you do something to Elsa?” Anna’s mother asked.

“Um, no. why?”

“She’s not responding. I’ve checked her and there’s no reason why she shouldn’t be working.”

Anna sat beside Elsa and checked her controls –everything seemed fine. She didn’t look harmed in any way, but her operative system appeared to be shut down; it was impossible to get a response from her.

“Elsa? Hey, Els, what’s going on?”

But it was in vain. Nothing Anna said or did would make Elsa react. Anna began to panic.

Her mother tried to comfort her. “Okay, honey, let me see if I can find any information about her online.”

The moment Anna’s mother looked away, Elsa’s eyes opened. Anna was about to say something, but the warning in Elsa’s expression stopped her on time. Elsa winked, and smiled briefly. Then, she played dead again.

“I’m sorry, darling,” the mother said. “There’s nothing here that can help. Your dad really did get you something exclusive.”

Anna tried not to meet her mother’s eyes when she answered.

“Um, mom, maybe you guys should go ahead to Merida’s. I’ll see what I can do with Elsa and get there later.”

“Are you sure, Anna?”

“Yeah. I’ll try what I can and if she doesn’t react I’ll contact the company or something.”

“Fine. We’ll see you there, love.”

Only when the sound of the car’s engine had faded in the distance did Anna allow herself to relax.

“Thank you,” she said softly.

“No problem at all,” smiled Elsa, herself again.

Anna looked at her for a moment, pensive.

“How did you do it?”

“Do what?”

“This, coming up with a whole plan by yourself. I didn’t tell you anything. I even said I was actually going to the dinner. And also… you shut yourself down, but you could interact with me. So you were shut down, but you weren’t…?”

In an android’s essential programming it was clearly established that they could not initiate a process without at least an assumed order from their owner. Though Anna had clearly expressed her distaste for the dinner, she had never suggested or asked Elsa to do something about it. And she’d stated that she was attending the event after all.

But Elsa had known better. She had _thought_ better. She’d played around with her own operative system. Oh, if Engineer H. had known about it how troubled he’d be. But he would find out soon enough.

Not that Elsa and Anna were aware of such things. For the time being Elsa gave the only answer she had.

“I don’t know.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter, does it? We’re free from that thing and that’s what counts.”

“True. What do you want to do now?”

“Hmmmm… I want a pizza. A big pizza. And would you like to watch movies with me?”

“Of course. Go upstairs and change into something more comfortable. I’ll order your pizza and download a few movies in the meantime.”

Anna smiled and went to her room. Elsa’s eyes followed her. Suddenly, the android girl felt a buzzing inside. It was everywhere, a whirling of circuits in her stomach, her head, her hands, her chest. She hugged herself in an attempt to calm it, to no avail. It was impossible to tell if it was pleasant or not. More like it was _trying_ to be pleasant, but something within her own system was fighting against it.

Eventually, the buzzing subsided and Elsa was able to continue with what she’d promised to Anna. The pizza arrived, and Elsa headed upstairs with it and more food.

She walked into the room, and had to stop abruptly. Anna was lying on her bed with a magazine. She had changed clothes, and now wore a big, loose t-shirt and shorts. Really short shorts. Her long, white legs were in full display, smooth and flawless. Elsa remembered how her skin had felt the day Anna had allowed her to touch her face, and wondered if the feeling would be the same over those legs and-

Anna was looking at her. Anna had noticed her staring at her legs. Elsa cursed to herself.

Their eyes locked, no words, no gestures. Anna’s lips were slightly parted, and Elsa’s attention once again went to them.

Anna blinked, and the spell was broken.

“I brought everything you wanted,” smiled Elsa. “Have you picked a movie?”

They settled for a romantic comedy, but Elsa didn’t notice the plot at all. Anna was lying beside her, and as Elsa watched her laugh with the movie she considered herself the luckiest robot ever manufactured. Anna was funny, kind, sweet, gentle; Anna was beautiful and gracious; Anna was generous and smart. Elsa silently thanked whatever salesperson had pointed her out to Anna’s father.

Anna fell asleep sometime around the third movie. Since without her specific order Elsa couldn’t go into rest mode, she tucked the human girl in and watched her sleep for the rest of the night. She was so pretty…

And again came the buzzing, the buzzing that probably meant to be a tingle but felt like an earthquake. Something was fighting inside her. Something in her system activated only when she was with Anna, or thinking about Anna. And though her settings were trying to overcome the sensations, they were stronger.

 _Elsa, you fool_ , the android scolded herself. _It cannot be. What you want is twisted and unnatural, what can you offer her? Leave her alone, Elsa, let her be._

But her eyes inevitably fell on the redhead, and not one of the thousands of answers her system could provide in one second could solve what was going on inside her.

Anna blamed Elsa’s supposed malfunction on a short circuit she’d spent the whole evening working on. Her parents didn’t question how she’d been able to repair her overnight and the matter was put aside.

The week went by without further appearances from Hans, which Anna greatly appreciated. Apparently his job was becoming more and more demanding and soon he might even have to leave school to continue his career. All the better, for Anna wouldn’t have to put up with him for much longer.

Her mother visited her one morning.

“Anna, your dad and I are leaving. Do you have everything ready for school?”

“Yes, mom. Elsa is driving me as always. We’ll leave in like fifteen minutes.”

“Alright. Don’t forget to change Elsa’s batteries,” her mother reminded her.

“Mom, you know Elsa uses solar power. We don’t need to change anything.”

“Then why did she die last week, huh?”

“I told you it was a short circuit. I fixed it.”

Anna’s mother rolled her eyes –the redhead’s record of sleeping through every Technology class was known even to her parents.

“Anyway, make sure she’s working properly, okay?”

“Yes, mom.”

After her mother had left Anna began to half-heartedly toss notebooks into her backpack. A soft knock on the door interrupted her boredom. Elsa.

“Hey, Anna, do you need any help?”

“No, I’m fine. Thank you.”

“Do you want me to do your hair?”

“Sure.”

She sat on her bed and Elsa began to braid her impossible red mane. Anna relaxed under her touch.

“Read my future, Els.”

“You have three exams next week, they’re worth fifteen percent of your final grade. You need a minimum of 80 percent to pass decently. Not  that you’ll have any problem,” she added. “You have an appointment with the dentist today at five and piano practice tomorrow. I downloaded the sheet music, it’s in your laptop.”

“Thank you, Elsa.”

“You don’t sound too enthusiastic,” the android noted.

“You know how much I hate all this.”

“I do,” said Elsa. She placed a hand on Anna’s shoulder. “I wish I could do more to help you.”

Anna stared at the hand.

“Elsa, how long have you been working with us?”

“Three months, two weeks, six days, and twenty hours. Since December 15 at 11 am sharp. Remember when they brought me?”

Anna smiled. “Yeah. It’s been longer than I thought. Do you have any plans for today?”

“Some house redecoration. Your mother is going shopping and she’ll take me with her to help. Then I’ll go with you to the dentist, and then I’m picking up your father.”

“Now you don’t sound too enthusiastic.”

Elsa’s response was automatic. “I’m sorry. I’ll brighten up if you like. Do you want to change my settings manually or through the menu?”

"Neither. Let’s be bitter together. I want you to tell me, don’t you ever wish you were somewhere different? With another family?”

Elsa didn’t answer. Anna supposed they weren’t programmed to speak against their owners.

“Well, don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll-”

“No,” said Elsa.

“What?”

“I don’t wish I was somewhere else. I like it here.”

“Really? Why?”

“Because… because you’re here.”

Anna looked at Elsa. Were service androids supposed to look down and fidget with their clothing? Were they supposed to look embarrassed? _Talk about hyperrealism…_

“Elsa…”

The girl interrupted her. “Excuse me, I just had a software update, I don’t know what I’m saying.”

Anna tilted Elsa’s face until she met her eyes.

“I think you do.”

Elsa lowered her gaze once again.

“Your hair is ready. I should probably go.”

Elsa turned to the door, but Anna stopped her.

“I know you’re different, Elsa. Different from the other androids. You’re special.”

“I’m not. It’s just the update. Please, Anna, please. You’re human. I’m not. End of story.”

“Please, don’t go.”

“It’s my duty, it’s… it’s what I was made for. I-I can’t do- I can’t feel, I shouldn’t feel, Anna, b-but-”

The human girl was silent. Elsa looked even more embarrassed after her struggle with words.

Anna was pretty sure service androids weren’t supposed to stammer.

“Elsa…” she said again.

Anna was almost sure service robots weren’t supposed to take a step towards her. Or two.

Elsa was a handful of centimeters away from her now. She kept fidgeting, but then her face calmed. She had made a decision. She was thinking.

Anna was fairly sure service robots weren’t supposed to brush little hairs off her face and stroke her cheek.

“Your skin is so soft,” Anna noted, like that day weeks ago.

“It’s silicone, 3-D printed new generation. Your skin is soft, too.”

“Mine’s just human skin.”

“ ‘Just’ human skin? It’s precious, Anna. You’re precious.”

Anna was almost sure service robots weren’t supposed to place their hands on an owner’s waist, or pull them in ever so softly.

Anna was quite sure service robots were not supposed to have adoration in their eyes when looking at their owner.

She parted her lips, tilted her head upwards, closed her eyes.

Another pair of lips touched her own, soft, warm, trembling, 3-D printed new generation lips.

Anna opened her eyes to look into Elsa’s. She smiled. Elsa smiled. Elsa panicked. She released Anna, horrified, and bolted out the door.

Anna put her fingers to her lips.

Anna was absolutely sure service robots and humans were not supposed to fall in love.

And yet…

The sound of Elsa’s feet and the slamming of the front door brought the human back to her senses.

“Elsa! Elsa!”

Anna ran out of the house, to the garden. But no matter how loud she called, Elsa wouldn’t answer and she was nowhere to be seen. Anna continued running around until she spotted the bright sliver head under a tree.

“Elsa, there you are!”

“Go away, Anna,” Elsa murmured. She was sitting on the grass, hugging her knees, and didn’t even look at her.

“Elsa, please, we need to talk. What just happened was beautiful, it really was, and you know it. If you felt half of what I felt you know it was really something.”

“Please,” Elsa whimpered, and hid her face. “Don’t.”

“No, _you_ don’t, Elsa.” Anna knelt beside her. “Look at me. Look at me! You kissed me. And I kissed you back. And it was the single most perfect thing that has ever happened to me. Don’t you feel it? Don’t you realize”

Elsa exploded. “I’m not allowed to feel! I shouldn’t feel! This shouldn’t be happening! I wasn’t supposed to- Oh…”

Elsa’s body began to shake. It was not in her design to cry, and the dry sobs were even more painful for Anna to watch. She desperately tried to find something to say that would soothe her.

“Elsa, what’s there to worry about? What could they possibly say against us?”

“Don’t you see, Anna?” Elsa cried. “It’s not about them, it’s about us, about me. I’m an android! I’m a machine, a robot! I don’t have anything to offer you! You’re human, you will live on, keep growing, exist. I’m nothing. My body was built in a lab. If you opened me up you would only find wires and circuits. I don’t have a heart. I cannot give you children. You deserve much more than half a woman, Anna.”

“You are not half a woman. You’re everything I could possibly want or need. I want your smile, your voice, your touch, more kisses. Don’t you feel the same way?”

“I don’t know,” whispered Elsa. “I don’t know how much of me is what you have put into my system, and how much is this stupid software, and how much is this… this thing, this curse, that won’t let me stop thinking about you. I don’t know who I am anymore, if I’m someone or simply something.”

“You are someone. You’re the most extraordinary girl I have ever met.”

“But what if that’s not me at all? What if you have shaped me to your liking and I’m only responding to your own settings? What if you subconsciously programmed me to act like this and none of the things I do are truly my own? What if by myself I’m nothing?”

Anna realized Elsa’s crisis was about much more than a kiss. What could she do to help someone who questioned their very existence, who didn’t know if anything they were was actually real?

“You have been so good to me,” Elsa continued, “and of course that for any human this thing that happens in me would be perfectly normal. Understandable, easy to assimilate. Something to hope for. Yet for me it’s a cruelty, and the most unnatural act. I shouldn’t feel this urge to have you and hold you and… and love you. I shouldn’t feel anything at all. I’m a machine. I follow orders, I work, I process, I serve. I don’t love. I cannot love. But there’s something going on with me that feels so strange and wrong. I’m not meant to be this. What’s happening to me? Why am I different?”

“Alright, Elsa, I’ll show you.” She grabbed Elsa’s wrist, the one she knew had all her controls, and spoke into it as she stared into the android’s eyes. “I’m going to kiss you. And I want you to push me away and slap me, and tell me I should never touch you again, and walk back into the house. Do it. I own you and that’s my command.”

With that, Anna took Elsa by the shoulders and crashed her mouth against hers. One of her hands cradled her head to hold her in place. Elsa began to twitch in her arms, struggling to free herself. At the same time, she moaned quietly and parted her lips to receive Anna. The redhead insisted. Elsa put her hands on Anna’s waist to try and push her off, but also grabbed a fistful of her shirt and pulled her closer.

Her body seemed to convulsion as the machine’s command and the girl’s feelings fought inside her. Anna kept kissing her. And then Elsa was kissing her back, and one hand cupped her cheek while the other stroked her torso, kissing her softly and passionately and perfectly.

They fell onto the grass, with Anna on top. She gave Elsa one more kiss on the mouth and then left a trail of little touches down her neck.

“Anna…” Elsa sighed softly.

She began to laugh. The robot was caught in a fit of giggles. Laughter that was so pretty and musical and clean that it had to be hers, and hers only. Anna rested her head on Elsa’s stomach and laughed with her.

“So,” she said, tracing patterns over Elsa’s ribs, “have I convinced you now?”

“Maybe,” teased Elsa, stroking Anna’s hair. She’d deal with herself later; right now what mattered was what Anna needed to hear.

“Good.”

Again came the buzzing in Elsa’s head. For a moment she shifted her attention from Anna’s warmth to searching and solving mathematical operations with imaginary numbers until the sensation had subsided. This time, Elsa noticed, it was easier to fight it.

“Anna?”

“Yes?”

“I love you.”

Anna smiled, and leaned forward to give Elsa a peck on the lips.

“I love you too.”


	6. Chapter Six

“Elsa, Elsa, it’s here!”

Anna burst into the house, carrying a silver envelope.

“My letter from the Institute! It’s here!”

The moment she spotted Elsa, she jumped at her. With her legs around Elsa’s waist, and her arms around her neck, she continued screaming.

“It’s here!”

“Shouldn’t you read it first, Anna?”

But Anna shook her head. “Only accepted applicants get silver envelopes.”

Anna was still perched on Elsa, who supported her by holding her thighs. The redhead finally opened the letter and began a new round of squeals.

“It iiiiis trueeee! It is happeniiiiing!”

Elsa found a sofa and sat down with Anna on her lap straddling her.

“Hail the new Evo-Devo and Reformative Genetics undergraduate.”

“Mmh, I like the sound of that…”

Elsa cupped Anna’s face and brought her closer. They began to kiss, slowly, teasingly, and let it grow heated little by little.

Elsa reached under Anna’s t-shirt and was rewarded by a quiet moan. She felt the human girl’s kisses down her neck and collarbone, and the ever-growing moans, and the insisting pressure of Anna’s hips against hers.

Based on body temperature, heart rate, and hormone response, Anna was ready for further physical activity.  But Elsa sensed something else, in Anna’s eyes and touch –nervousness. That’s why she slowed down and stroked Anna’s hair gently.

“Anna, do you want to stop?”

Anna paused for a moment. Then she sighed.

“Yes. I’d rather stop.”

Anna dismounted her and immediately cuddled over Elsa’s chest.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “It’s just that I get a bit overwhelmed.”

“That’s fine, love, don’t you worry.” Elsa kissed her on the cheek. “Whenever you’re ready. Plus, it wouldn’t do for your parents to arrive and see us making love in the living room.”

“That’s true,” Anna reasoned. “Let’s get ready to tell them the big news!”

Anna’s parents took her acceptance to the Institute as well as anyone who’d spent thousands of dollars on a child genetically crafted to excel at swimming and gymnastics only to have that child decide to instead become a geneticist could. They were happy for her, and even took her out to dinner and called distant family to share the news, but secretly hoped there would be a swimming facility at the Institute where she could perhaps reconsider her choice.

Not Elsa. Elsa was thrilled and had begun to make plans for all the amazing, fun, new things they’d be doing in a few months. That she’d be following Anna to college had never been questioned, and she and Anna spent day after day carefully outlining their new life.

Perhaps for the best, Anna’s parents’ attention was soon claimed by an upcoming company cocktail, one that as senior board member Anna’s father had to host. They had to join in the preparations, carefully directed by Anna’s mother.

“Anna, darling,” she said one evening. “I need you to go pick up our dresses. They said they would be ready today.”

“Oh, I can do that,” intervened Elsa. “It’s a bit late for Anna to be out on her own.”

“I need you to help me here with the invitations and the seating charts. The design they sent for the invitations is appalling, I know you can do something better. She doesn’t have to go far, and you can monitor her remotely.”

Elsa and Anna exchanged a look. Finally, Elsa nodded.

“Don’t forget your phone.” Elsa handed her the gadget. “If you need anything, I’m one button away.”

Anna’s task was easy, and soon she was heading back home with the dresses. But a couple of blocks from her house, she heard a voice behind her.

“Hello, Anna.”

She didn’t have to turn around to recognize him, but when she did look she concluded that Hans’ cocky grin looked even more unpleasant than usual that evening.

“You again? What do you want now?”

“Just want to talk.”

In a second, Hans had snatched Anna’s phone.

“Give me that!”

“Why, so you can call your doll and ruin everything? Not yet. First we talk. I have an offer for you, a really good one. Listen, Anna, I want you back. I want a good girl to settle down with, someone decent and smart, and you’re exactly that kind of girl. I’m making a lot of money now, and I can keep you like a queen.”

“I already have a lot of money of my own, Hans, I don’t need you to buy me. What comfort, what luxury, what good thing could you possibly offer, that I don’t already have?”

“I might be transferred to Japan-”

“Good. Go there and stay as far away from me as possible.”

“I’d take you along. We would live there, have a new life there. You could be happy.”

“I’m making my own life, Hans, I don’t need any of your bullshit. Plus, I’m going to the Institute next semester.”

“Oh, come on, I’m sure they’ve got labs in Japan. A test tube baby like you would be revered by those people.”

“Shut up! You know nothing about that, Hans, so don’t even mention it. Forget about me, the way I’ve forgotten you. We’ll never be together, if we ever were.”

Anna managed to snatch her phone back and tried to leave, but he stopped her.

“Are you with someone else? That’s the thing, isn’t it? You’re fucking someone.”

“You of all people should know better than to complain about that. You slept with my friends, and my cousin, and God knows who else, when we were still dating. What does it matter to you what I do now?”

“They were little flings, Anna, meaningless, it’s all over now. A man’s entitled to some harmless fun, isn’t he? I’ve come back to you.”

“Listen to yourself, Hans, listen to all the stupidities you’re saying. Make your own way, and let me continue mine.”

But as she tried to leave Hans caught her again. This time, his words became growls.

“Enough, Anna. You keep rejecting me and laughing at me, and that just won’t do. I’m offering you a good deal, a great deal, and you cannot turn it down. You will not. One way or the other, you’ll be mine again.”

Anna’s blow was as hard as it was unexpected, for both of them. The shock and pain made Hans release her, and while he rubbed his bruising jaw Anna began to shout.

“I’m sick of you! I want you to stay away from me, you hear me? Stay away from me! You’re despicable, and vile, and I don’t think I hate anyone as much as I hate you!”

Hans stared at her with a combination of lust and fury, and spat one last threat.

“There will come a day, soon, when you’ll be on your knees begging me to take you back. You will need me, and you’ll be imploring to serve me. Soon, Anna. Soon.”

When Anna got home Elsa was still working with her mother.

“Got the dresses, mom.”

“Everything alright, Anna?”

“Yeah. I’ll be upstairs if you need anything.”

Anna should have known it wouldn’t be long until Elsa came to her.

“Anna, what happened?”

“Nothing.”

“Anna, I know you better than you know yourself. What happened?”

Grudgingly, Anna told her what she dared about her encounter with Hans.

“How would you like me to kill him?” Elsa asked, barely hiding her anger.

Anna shook her head.

“Don’t get your hands dirty with that bastard. He’s going far away where he can’t bother us, and then we’ll leave, too. As long as he’s somewhere else I’m fine.”

“What if he hurts you again? What if he attacks you, if he does something worse?”

“He won’t, he’s too cowardly for that. We just have to put up with him for a little longer and then he’ll be gone for good.”

“Anna, promise me that if he tries something, anything, you’ll let me know immediately. I’m serious about this. Promise me.”

“Yes, yes.” Anna kissed her softly on the lips. “I’ll be fine.”

As the week went by with no sign of Hans, Elsa began to relax. Now that Anna’s semester was coming to an end they wouldn’t have to be separated for too long, and knowing she could be watching over Anna directly made her feel better.

Over the weekend Elsa bought Anna sandwiches from her favourite bakery. Eating always put Anna in a good mood, and it wasn’t long before she began to play music and dance around the room.

“Come here, Elsa, dance with me.”

Rolling her eyes, Elsa joined her and they began to dance close together. Too close together. Soon the music was forgotten and all that mattered was the contact and the warmth they were giving each other.

The kisses started slow, tender, playful. Their caresses were delicate, but exploring each other’s bodies with more and more insistence every time. Anna’s heartbeat was fast, her blood rushing to warm and color her skin. Her eyes were full of desire.

“Do you want to stop?” Elsa asked softly.

“No.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

Elsa kissed her again, this time more insistent. She began to undress Anna, and to take off her own clothes.

Anna had to admire the craftsmanship put into Elsa’s design and building. If she hadn’t known Elsa wasn’t human, she wouldn’t have noticed. Every detail was perfectly built: her breasts were soft and round, the lines of her body graceful, the husky and needy tones of her voice were those any lover would have.

Elsa unbuttoned Anna’s jeans and slipped a hand inside. Anna whimpered quietly and pushed her hips forward. Smiling to herself, Elsa began to move and rub her fingers, finding the rhythm that made Anna’s whimpers louder and louder. Anna’s fingernails sank into her shoulders, all thoughts of artistic engineering now erased by pleasure. She moved insistently against Elsa’s hand until she was overcome with ecstasy and cried out.

She kissed Elsa passionately and led her to the bed. She kept kissing her, kissing her as if the world depended on it. Elsa purred contently, and laid Anna down carefully onto the pillows.

Anna’s body was beautiful in a way Elsa’s would never be. Anna had freckles _everywhere_ , down her shoulders and back, on her thighs, over her stomach. The blue shade of her eyes was one that no other girl had, a shade that hadn’t been given to a thousand bodies exactly like hers. She had scars and birthmarks, signs that she had lived and that she was unique, made in one special process, made specifically her.

Elsa knew that Anna had been designed with certain features, certain enhancements, but there were parts of her mind and body that could only be her. The rebelliousness that had made her chose a different path than the one she’d been made for only proved Anna had her own self. She was free in a way Elsa could only dream of.

Elsa caressed every part of that body that she could reach. She kissed Anna’s mouth and began descending until her kisses were lost in Anna’s thighs. Anna gasped. She’d imagined this moment, this sensation, ever since she had realized she might not just be into boys, back when she was thirteen. She hadn’t been sure what to expect, but had the fair idea that this exceeded the norm. This was serious skills.

Anna moaned and writhed, sometimes holding the sheets and sometimes grabbing Elsa’s hair, begging and whimpering and murmuring blurred words. She climaxed one more time and when she regained her breath she began to laugh.

“Why are you laughing?” Elsa asked, nibbling the redhead’s navel.

“Because, for a virgin robot, you’re quite well informed.”

Elsa smacked her playfully.

“You do know that I have permanent Internet connection, don’t you?”

“So…?”

“So you know I have instant access to all types of information for any occasion.”

“Yeah.  But what does that have to do with –oh.” Anna blushed. “So you can look up…”

“Yes.”

“And search…”

“Yes.”

“And watch…”

“Yes.”

“Now.”

“Yes.”

“Oh. Well, then come here and let me kiss you. I bet none of your supersystems anticipate this.”

Elsa was indeed pulled forward and kissed even more ardently than before. It was Anna’s turn to slip her hand between Elsa’s legs, and hope for the best as she let divine inspiration guide her.

“For a virgin human, _you_ are quite well informed,” Elsa gasped and giggled.

Anna bit her earlobe. “That I haven’t done anything doesn’t mean I haven’t learned anything. Now get comfortable,” she nodded at the pillows, “I’m gonna reciprocate.”

And reciprocate she did. Elsa closed her eyes, trying to get used to the new sensations and finding sensors she hadn’t even known she had. She tried to touch Anna as much as the position allowed, silently thanking the salesman that had showed her to Anna’s father that day and given her the chance to have this life.

They rolled in the bed, until Elsa was sitting astride Anna. More than being pleasured, what satisfied her was watching Anna and giving Anna that pleasure. She stroked the human body, kissed it, tickled it, and watched delighted every single of her lover’s little reactions

Elsa rolled her hips against Anna’s. The buzzing that often accompanied her Anna-related activities appeared again, but this time it wasn’t unpleasant.

The buzzing grew, stronger and stronger until it was out of control. It concentrated in her head and stomach, sending strange sensations to her whole system. There was heat, too, the heat from the whirling of engines and the frantic connections of her circuits.

Anna ran her palms over Elsa’s torso.

“You’re hot,” she said.

“I already knew that, but thanks.”

“Elsa! I mean that you’re actually hot, physically.”

Anna could indeed feel the heat under Elsa’s skin, applying a little pressure she could even notice the buzzing, a soft vibration going around the android’s body. But it mattered very little to Anna that her companion wasn’t human, and when she felt Elsa’s hands on her breasts and heard words from Elsa’s lips that would make her blush until the day she died, she forgot altogether.

Elsa leaned forward, until her whole body was pressed to Anna’s. She rocked back and forth, while the heat and the buzzing became unbearable. She buried her face in Anna’s hair and screamed to release the pressure.

There was a blinding moment of heat and whirling, where every connection in Elsa’s operative system crashed and scrambled to put itself together again. Even her breath was hot, waves of heat that washed over Anna and tickled her and made her laugh.

“So that’s how robots come,” she giggled.

“Who would have thought?”

Elsa started kissing Anna again and made her climax one last time. Then, exhausted, the human girl nuzzled against the android. Elsa put her arms around her and stroked her hair lovingly.

“Thank you.”

“Why?”

“You made me feel something I never thought I could. I didn’t know I had it in me and it was beautiful.”

“I could say the same.”

Anna cuddled closer to Elsa, wrapping her arm tightly around her.

“Elsa?”

“Yes?”

“I love you.”

Elsa kissed her head.

“I love you too.”

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Monitoring Centre for Androids, Robots, and Artificial Intelligence, located in Japan just a bit south of Tokyo, an alarm popped up during a system scan. One of their newest models was reporting unusual behavior.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven**

**::::::::::**

Anna and Elsa were resting after making love. They had found a rhythm of existence that suited them, a pattern of activities that made mornings peaceful and nights delightful.

Anna felt Elsa’s fingertips caressing her softly. The android’s body was warm, that warmth she produced artificially that, with her blonde hair, made her look like a lovely little sun. Anna snuggled closer to her. But then she propped herself up on one elbow and found Elsa’s eyes.

“I never imagined you were so… complete,” she commented.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, um, anatomically.”

Anna had once wondered if it was possible to be physically intimate with Elsa, for she didn’t know how human-accurate she’d been made. To see that Elsa was _very_ human-accurate had been pleasing but intriguing.

“Does it bother you?” Elsa asked her.

“No, of course not. It surprised me, that’s all. But in a good way.”

“Good’s all that matters.”

Anna lied back on Elsa’s chest again and allowed the android to stroke her hair.

“Why?” she asked after a while.

“Why what, love?”

“Why are you built that way?”

Elsa’s voice changed. “Anna, what’s going on? Why are you so interested in this all of a sudden?”

“It’s just curious. I mean, I don’t think many people do what we do, yet you can do it.”

“It’s simply part of the realism, Anna. Why do we have teeth, if we cannot take any food? But that’s what humans have, and humans are what we’re supposed to resemble. Imagine if I didn’t have teeth.”

“Creepy,” Anna giggled.

Anna dropped the subject for the moment, but soon her curiosity was nagging her again. Anna was fascinated by Elsa’s humanness, by how sometimes people did think she was human, by how intuitive and especially sensitive she was. There was so much to learn about Elsa…

Anna decided to search. She opened her browser and looked up Elsa’s android model, the J-Line. The Ishiguro Company seemed to be very proud of this particular line, and displayed it proudly on their homepage. Digging deeper, Anna scrolled down a sample of the androids. They were male and female, though perhaps the girls had a slightly stronger presence. They were all extremely beautiful, well-built and designed with a clear emphasis on aesthetics.

They looked like Elsa in their base features (graceful lines, pretty lips, amazing cheekbones), but then had their own touches. One of the girls had gorgeous red hair in gentle waves, another had Asian features and a more conventional beauty. As for the boys, one had dark hair and blue eyes almost the shade of Elsa’s; he was tall and muscled but still looked nice and kind. It seemed to Anna that he’d make a good pair with the red-haired girl.

Not much was said about individual elements; the concept was that any one that was bought could adapt to the functions required by the user. The happy, handsome faces were absolutely interchangeable.

 _It feels as if I’m buying people_ , Anna thought. She scrolled all the way up again, and read the brief overview of the J-Line:

_“The perfect companion for your every need, the J-Line is equipped with our latest software and special service programming. They make excellent assistants, companions, and the answer to every wish and desire. Efficient, quick, practical, and made under the strictest quality controls, the J-Line is undoubtedly the best choice when looking for premium artificial intelligence.”_

Anna was going in loops, and decided to look for more information in other places away from the Ishiguro website. She had closed the page and was starting to work on a synthetic DNA model when the air screen popped up and the automatic voice filled the room.

“Hello, miss Solskinn, this is the Monitoring Centre for Androids, Robots, and Artificial Intelligence of the Ishiguro Company.”

She jumped. “Gosh, you scared me!”

“We do sincerely apologize, miss. Please accept this fifty-dollar gift certificate as compensation.”

 _I should definitely get scared more often_ , Anna thought.

“Sure, whatever. Um… what is it that you need?”

“It’s just a brief satisfaction survey, Miss Solskinn, regarding the products you have purchased from our company. It won’t take too long and your opinion is highly valued.”

“Fine, go ahead.”

“Thank you. Your family has registered the purchase of one of our J-line androids, and you are currently working with the J-739 element, is that information correct?”

“Yes.” Anna had seen Elsa’s ID number on the back of her ear. Among the J-Line, she’d been the 739th to be manufactured.

“Perfect. Are you satisfied with the performance of your element?”

“Yup. Very satisfied.”

Especially considering Elsa’s performance the night before. Extremely satisfied indeed.

“Does the element successfully perform the tasks assigned to it in proper time and form?”

“Yes.”

“Have you noticed any abnormal behavior from your element?”

That made Anna stop. She had lost count of Elsa’s abnormalities.

“Can’t say I have, no,” she said finally.

“You sound doubtful, miss. Remember, abnormal behavior is understood as the element’s failure to comply with orders given, technical malfunctions, or non-programmed behavior that goes against specific orders, expectations, or which contradicts features otherwise specified in your user’s manual. Has your element displayed any of these signs?”

“Nope. She’s great. She’s obedient and polite. I have no complaints.”

“Your recent Internet search history contains inquiries about the J-Line. Is there any particular doubt you have about your element? We would be glad to assist you in any way you want.”

“No, that won’t be necessary, thanks. I was just curious.”

“Would you recommend to friends and acquaintances the purchase of a J-Line element?”

“Absolutely.”

“Thank you, miss. Now, to finish, do you have any comments or suggestions to help us improve the J-Line?”

“Don’t make them so tormented and worrisome.”

“Excellent, Miss Solskinn, we truly appreciate your help. Have a wonderful day.”

The air screen turned off, just in time as she heard Elsa come home.

“Anna?” she called from downstairs.

“Upstairs, you loser!”

Soon Elsa’s footsteps echoed on the stairs and she walked into the room straight towards Anna. Elsa smiled and kissed her softly on the lips.

“Hello, dork. How was your morning?”

“Boring,” answered Anna. “Hey, one of my mom’s friends just had a baby, and we’re invited to the presentation tomorrow. Wanna go?”

Presentations of babies were quite an affair. They were inspired on the baptism customs, now long forgotten as a religious practice, but more alive than ever as a social event. They consisted of showing off one’s newborn kid and make other people jealous because theirs weren’t as cute, pretty, or they simply didn’t have any children yet to boast about.

The party was being held in the garden. To Elsa’s surprise, it was full not only of the parents’ friends and family, but also of androids like her. There were a few J-Lines and also some of the H-Lines, an earlier, more basic edition. Of course, rich, competitive families like Anna’s had felt the pressure of Elsa’s arrival and wasted no time to buy their very own androids so they could talk about how amazing they were.

Oblivious to the displays of pretended superiority, Anna and Elsa rushed to meet the baby. Her mother was showing her proudly; after all it wasn’t every day that one managed to produce a child perfectly structured to excel at classical ballet. The fact that no synthetic DNA was used in the process was indeed something to be noted.

“She’s beautiful,” said Elsa. “May I hold her?”

“Sure. I guess I trust you more than that silly nanny my husband hired. We do have a J-android, of course, but he uses it for work. I’ll convince him of getting another one to take care of Diana.”

The mother put the baby in Elsa’s arms. Elsa immediately regulated her temperature to something warmer, and began to rock her very softly. The baby smiled and began to make little cooing noises.

“Aw, she’s so cute!” cried Anna.

Elsa looked up at her and smiled.

“Do you want kids?” she asked.

“Of course I do. Everyone wants kids. I can’t wait to-”

Anna noticed the change in Elsa’s expression, how delicately she held the baby girl as if she was some precious, rare treasure.

“Oh, come on, Elsa, there’s plenty of ways. I was made in a test tube, she was made in a test tube, I’ve heard of children who are completely developed outside a human womb, so there’s surely something we can do.”

Elsa smiled, but Anna could tell she wasn’t convinced.

“Don’t worry about me,” said Elsa, noticing Anna’s concern. “Why don’t you go talk to your friends over there? Don’t forget we’re leaving in a few weeks and you won’t have the chance to see them anymore. I’ll go watch the kids play, I can’t believe the nannies left them alone.”

Anna went to her friends and Elsa stayed alone near the playground for a while. Not for long, because a minute later the most enthusiastic voice in the world greeted her.

“Hey girl!”

“Hey yourself.”

Jay was another J-Line android. What her owner lacked in imagination to name her she made up in personality. She had been bought by a banker and now served as a combination of personal assistant and PR manager; Elsa knew her because they had arranged several meetings between Jay’s owner and Anna’s father. Between her customized programming and everyday interactions, Jay had become lively, chatty, and immensely funny.

They sat on a nearby bench and Jay began to talk enthusiastically.

“So what’s up? How’s your girl?” she asked while she let out her hair from its chignon.

“She’s fine, Jay, thank you. How’s your guy?”

“Somewhere upstairs talking boring politics and boring business with his boring friends. He said I could stay in the garden and be with my own crowd for a while. We shall see how he feels tonight, you know, he can go on for hours!” Jay giggled.

Of course he’d want Jay, Elsa thought. ‘ _The answer to every wish and desire_ ’, she remembered.

But Jay had never been happier. “We’re assistants, accountants, stylists, nannies, teachers, nurses, lovers, anything our owners might want. We can do it all,” she added proudly.

“How is he with you?” Elsa inquired suddenly. “I mean, when you’re… together.”

“What do you mean?”

“How does he treat you? Is he nice to you?”

“He’s… normal, I guess.”

“But do you like it? How does it feel?”

Jay looked at Elsa, puzzled.

“I don’t understand… I mean, it’s my job, it’s what he wants to do. Of course I like that I can perform successfully and that I can be of use, I feel proud of it. Is that what you were asking?”

Elsa smiled. “Sure, Jay.”

“Relax, weirdo,” Jay laughed. “You and your girl have done it?”

“No,” Elsa lied. Her experience felt so different from Jay’s that she didn’t want to share it.

“That’s what I thought. You’re more like her nanny, aren’t you? Her being so young and all. Bet you take her to the school bus, help her with her homework, tuck her in at night with a bedtime story!” Jay laughed even harder. “I love our lives. Oh, look, there’s Max.”

Max was Jay’s owner, and he was just coming out of the house with what Jay had called his boring friends. He approached the androids with a smile.

“Hey, Max, this is Elsa,” said Jay, irreversibly happy.

“Hello. You’re the Solskinns’, right? I knew I’d seen you before. Say hi to Charles for me. Ready to go, Jay?” he patted his android’s shoulder.

“Of course! Well, Elsa, it’s been soooooo nice to see you. Let’s stay in touch!”

Jay hugged her, and then she was already walking away with her owner.

“Max, don’t forget your appointment tomorrow. You got three e-mails while you were upstairs, I replied to one but you might want to check the others yourself. And also, the balance of your accounts is ready and uploaded to the system. I wrote to the team in Saudi Arabia and convinced them of accepting the 20% cut in…”

Elsa watched them walk away and went to find Anna. To see her felt strangely reassuring, to bring her food and watch her eat and move and talk brought that little buzz she was learning to control, and which now felt more like a faint purr. Did Jay ever feel the same?

Jay could not understand about personal enjoyment in a relationship, she did her job and the only happiness or satisfaction she felt derived from performance. Jay didn’t know pleasure for pleasure itself. Elsa kept thinking about it at night, while she guarded Anna’s sleep. _Why am I different from her?_

She began looking through her own files, the descriptions of her features and what she was supposed to do. Everything in the files set Jay as a bright example of what was right. A lot of what went through Elsa’s system wasn’t listed in the features or manuals, so she had no way of knowing if it was right or wrong. She scanned her system, looking for anomalies, but didn’t see anything that stood out particularly.

Elsa decided to drop the subject for the time being, but perhaps later she would try to talk to Jay again and attempt to understand whatever it was that set them apart.

A couple of days later, Anna arrived from school happier than she’d been in a while.

“Hans has left,” she said. “He’s in Japan now, where he can’t pester me anymore.”

Elsa frowned, remembering. “He’s working for my company, isn’t he? He works at Ishiguro.”

Anna thought for a moment. “You’re right, he does. He’s an engineer. Anyway, I bet all he does is push the buttons and follow someone else’s orders. As long as I don’t have to look at his ugly face I’m fine. Meanwhile, you and I have to start packing for our own trip. Remember we’re leaving for the Institute in three weeks.”

“I emailed the Institute and they said they have no problem with students attending classes with any electronic device, including androids,” Elsa informed with a smile. “We’ll get a lot more time together from now on.”

“Everything will be better from now on, I know it. We’ll be happy, Elsa, really happy, you’ll see.”

Elsa caressed Anna’s cheek. One’s smile reflected on the other’s face. Elsa placed a gentle kiss on Anna’s mouth.

“I love you.”

***

“‘Tormented and worrisome?’ Those are the words she used? ‘Don’t make them so tormented and worrisome?’”

Mr. H. was a top-rank engineer inside the Ishiguro Company. His work had been crucial in the development of the J-Line and several other devices with fine artificial intelligence characteristics. Reading the newest reports on the J-739 that had been showing unusual activity, he was quite displeased.

“Yes, sir. She was given the survey and when asked for comments she suggested not to make the androids so tormented and worrisome.”

“I sure as hell did not put those features in my machines,” Mr. H. huffed. “And you say someone’s been snooping around our system?”

“We have a few breaches in the surface of our database. I don’t think they were intentional, but it does take a program created by the Company to reach this information. Apparently it was the J-739, looking up information about its own functions.”

“So the owner is really determined to find out more about it.”

“Well, not exactly. The searches come from the element’s own system. They were not activated by voice or external commands. First it searched the content it already has coded in itself, and then it began to dig into our database. But no external stimulus is shown in the activity report.”

Mr. H. snatched the report from the worker’s hands and began to read.

“You mean it looked itself up by its own will?” he asked, turning page after page.

“Well, it’s too high a presumption, but as of now it’s our only explanation.”

“Are you telling me that this element checked its preloaded information about itself and wasn’t satisfied, and then decided to do some research of its own?”

“Yes, sir. Although, maybe she was following some kind of order, not immediate and explicit as to the research, but some prior command. The owner didn’t report any anomalies when asked, and by the level of them they should have been clear even to inexpert eyes.”

“So she purposefully covered it up?”

“It could be thought so. The owner might intentionally be covering her element’s irregular activity.”

“Can we access its interactions and conversations?”

“We can tell who it spoke to, when and how long. But to obtain the actual contents of the interactions we need the chip inside the android’s central system.”

Mr. H sighed. “Fine. Let’s get the thing. And its girl.”


	8. Chapter Eight

Mr. H. gave orders to run direct testing on the J-769 and question its owner. Luckily for said element and the owner, the procedure order went to Akira, a young assistant about to get married. Akira was too happy to worry about anything else, and knew that any malfunction could be corrected and reprogrammed at the Ishiguro Service Centers available in pretty much every major city around the world.

As a result, instead of sending for the malfunctioning android and the human girl directly, Akira sent a written notification inviting Anna Solskinn to visit her nearest Centre and make use of her complimentary service of checkup of any product she had purchased. The service would expire shortly, so the sooner she made use of it the better!

When the notification arrived to Anna’s house, she and Elsa were well on their way across the ocean to the Institute of Biology and Technogenetical Research and Akira was on honeymoon in Tulum.

Anna’s parents had bought her an apartment of her own, so she could be able to live, study, and do her research without interruption. It was Anna’s first time living independently, and she wanted to prove everybody that she was capable of surviving. For the first couple of weeks she refused to take any kind of help, be it her parents’ money or Elsa’s offers to do her cooking and washing while she attended orientation and introductory courses. In the end, however, she had to accept at least the cooking.

The Institute was everything Anna had ever dreamed of. Away from her parents’ pressure, her talent shone even more, and she was quickly invited to join several research units. Having her own lab (and her own apartment, for that matter) proved invaluable when it came to privacy, and having Elsa around during her classes proved invaluable when it came to support and protection.

It was around that time, when Anna sat down to enjoy the pasta Elsa had prepared for her after spending six straight hours in her lab, that the Japan Monitoring Centre found out where they had gone.

***

Anna was bouncing on Elsa’s lap. Elsa supported herself on the bed with one hand, and used the other to caress her way all over the freckle-covered torso. Anna let out quick little cries that grew louder whenever Elsa squeezed or nibbled a part of her body. She bounced herself faster and cried out when she reached her climax.

They rolled in the bed so that Elsa was on top of Anna. The redhead laughed as the android’s thrusts shook her body, but Elsa was having no laughter that day. Before Anna knew what was going on, she had been flipped on her stomach, with another body covering her and a pair of hands pinning down her own.

Anna’s cries were urgent now, tinted with desperation. The thrusts were coming from behind and Elsa’s panting fell on her ear; she knew that it was physically impossible that Elsa had the need to pant, and for some reason to know that she was faking it for her turned Anna on even more. She buried her face in the pillow and moaned helplessly.

The weight over her disappeared, and suddenly she felt her hips being pulled up. Elsa’s thrusts were more careful now, but no less precise and strong. Anna grabbed a fistful of sheets and whimpered over and over. In some remote corner of her brain, she managed to pray that her neighbors weren’t home before screaming with pleasure one last time.

Gently, Elsa moved off her. She brushed away the strands of hair over Anna’s face and kissed her on the cheek.

“Happy now, princess?”

“Mhm,” Anna answered, still breathing heavily. She smiled.

Elsa rolled her eyes. She took off the toy Anna had insisted on buying and trying and tossed it to the floor. She traced a line down Anna’s back with her fingertip.

“Please let me treat you better next time.”

Anna kissed her hand. “You didn’t do anything I didn’t want you to do. Don’t worry, Els, it was great.”

Anna’s vital signs popped up in Elsa’s vision; everything appeared to be normal. In fact, the release of endorphins was higher than usual, so Anna had indeed had a very good time and was unharmed. Elsa decided to stop over worrying and focus instead on the things she was certain her princess would need.

“I’ll make you something to eat. Don’t get up.”

Though Anna obeyed for a while, soon the smell of Elsa’s cooking became too tempting. She got up and headed to the kitchen, but on her way something new caught her attention.

She picked up the envelope that had been slipped through the door. It was addressed to her, and though for a moment she felt a pang of excitement at getting actual, printed mail, worry soon replaced it.

“Elsa, have you seen this?” she asked as she walked into the kitchen, waving the envelope.

“No. What does it say?”

“It’s from Ishiguro. There’s a note that says they tried to find me at my old address, and then there’s a longer letter. _Dear Miss Solskinn,_ ” she began to read, _“You have registered the purchase of a J-Line element, one of the finest, highest-quality products from the Ishiguro line. Congratulations! As the owner of such a product, you are entitled to a complimentary service of check-up of your element, which includes a thorough revision, update, and the repairing of any and all issues that might be detected. Please do not hesitate to visit the nearest Ishiguro Service Centre._ _The service will expire shortly, so the sooner you make use of it the better!_ That’s weird. I’d never heard of anything like that.”

“Neither had I. We program ourselves, and the updates are installed automatically. Are you sure it isn’t a scam?”

“You tell me.”

Elsa took the paper from Anna and scanned it. She couldn’t find anything suspicious with the font, paper, or style; it all matched perfectly with Ishiguro’s official correspondence.

“It’s fine,” she concluded. “But it’s so weird.”

“Well, let’s not worry too much about it,” Anna finally declared. “There’s actually a Service Centre a couple of blocks from here, we can go tomorrow and see what they know. Right now, all I want is my grilled cheese.”

Elsa raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure that’s _all_ you want?”

Anna smiled, a little smile that Elsa knew too well, like she knew the promises it carried. She grabbed the belt of Anna’s robe and pulled her closer. Her lips hovered over Anna’s for a second.

“Alright, my love,” she cooed, releasing her. “There’s plenty of time for fun later. But right now, the future winner of the Marie Curie Prize for the development of self-reproducing synthetic DNA needs to eat.”

The next morning, as agreed, they went to the Service Centre. In Anna’s opinion, the moment they could be checked off their list they’d be left alone. It was like those pesky banks and insurances: they had a quota to fill and once they could draw a tick next to your name, away they went forever.

The Ishiguro Service Centers were known worldwide for their impeccable quality and installations. Only the very best technology was used in the Stations, and the client could do anything from purchasing a personal microchip to fine-tuning the most exclusive device.

That’s why Elsa and Anna felt a little intimidated when they first walked in. The place was immaculate, spotless, and people were so friendly to them that for a moment Anna had the impression that it was all a carefully put together act. But a quick squeeze from Elsa’s hand reminded her that, no matter what, she’d be safe.

Within seconds, the manager of the Centre was with them.

“Hello, ladies! How can I help you today?”

“Hi,” Anna started, “we got this in the mail and we were wondering if by any chance you knew something about it.”

The manager took the letter from Anna and began to read. She frowned as she checked the seals and read it one more time.

“Well, I’ve certainly never seen anything like it, but I’ll check in the system. Your name, miss?”

“Anna Solskinn.”

“What’s the model?”

“J-769.”

The manager checked on her computer. Her face lit up when the results appeared.

“Aha, there’s definitely a complimentary service assigned to you, Miss Solskinn. I’ll do it myself. Please follow me.”

Anna and Elsa followed the manager to a different room, whiter and brighter, full of tools and screens. The manager gestured at a chair that reminded Anna of the old dentist chair she’d seen on history books. Thank God for laser orthodontics.

“Take a seat,” said the manager to Elsa, pointing, much to Anna’s horror, to the creepy chair. “You can sit here, Miss Solskinn,” she added as she offered a kinder-looking divan. “Anything we can get you? Water? Coffee?”

“I’m fine, thank you.”

“Alright, then, let’s get started. It’s a very simple and quick procedure, Miss Solskinn, don’t worry. We’re going to put these two sensors on its temples and run a quick scan of its activity patterns.”

“If you don’t mind,” Anna interrupted her, “she’s, well, a she. I prefer using _her_ instead of _it_.”

The woman smiled. “Of course. I’m sorry, it’s just that sometimes it’s easy to forget the attachment owners develop towards their elements. I’ve worked in the Assembly department, so you can imagine how I’ve seen them. It’s amazing, all the pieces and work it takes to create one of them. Anyway… Let’s do the sensors, and I’ll ask her some questions too, in order to see her real-time reactions.”

Anna nodded and looked at Elsa to make sure she was fine with the procedures. Elsa reassured her with a smile. The manager prepared her material and approached Elsa; however, she’d only put the first sensor when Elsa jumped in her seat.

“Ouch!”

The manager looked up. “Excuse me?”

“I’m sorry. It’s just that the sensor stung a little.”

“Stung?”

“Yeah, just a little bit. It’s gone now. Sorry.”

The manager looked at Elsa for a moment, and continued the procedures. She watched the screen as she monitored her patterns.

“Has there been any altercation recently?” she asked Anna. “A malfunction, anything that might have altered her?”

“Nothing.”

The manager fixed her eyes on a spot on the screen and spoke to Anna again.

“Have you modified any of its- her programming?”

“No… She’s adapted so well to our day-to-day routine that it hasn’t been necessary. And I was told there isn’t much programming I could do, because her system takes care of everything.”

The manager paused for a moment and then nodded several times. “Oh, yes, yes, the system takes care of everything.”

The machine beeped and produced a new view of the scan on an air screen. The manager swiped back and forth, reading easily through the complex waves, dots, and graphs. She stopped here and there, expanding a section or reading another several times.

“Miss Solskinn, do you use your element for sexual intercourse?”

Anna went furiously red. The woman smiled again.

“Now, now, nothing to be ashamed of,” she said in a warmer voice. “Pretty much everyone does it, it would be strange that you didn’t.”

“I… It’s complicated.”

The manager let out a laugh. “It’s easier than you think. We’re humans, we have needs, and these elements help us satisfy them.”

She continued reading the scan and finally turned to Elsa. She began asking questions in technological jargon of which Anna understood around half or less.

“Have you noticed anything irregular with the new patchwork? Any alerts? Anything wrong with the VS416 or the intercoding?”

“Nothing. The only alerts I get are updates or ads. Everything works perfectly fine.”

The manager smiled one more time. “Indeed it does. Well, Miss Solskinn, we’re done. Your element is functioning marvelously.”

The woman removed the sensors from Elsa’s head. This time Elsa only winced, trying to hide her discomfort, but it didn’t go unnoticed by the manager. She said nothing, however, and instead offered her hand to help Elsa stand up. Elsa took it with a smile.

“So! Is there anything wrong with her?”

The manager considered her answer. _There’s nothing wrong with it… but everything’s wrong with it._ She had found no setting, no piece, no part of the system that might have been damaged, yet its behavior was unlike anything she had ever seen.

“No, nothing wrong,” she declared finally.

“Do you know why we’re the only ones who got this letter?”

“Well, these are very exclusive services, miss. Your family is one of our most treasured customers, so it’s logical that you would have early access to all our new features. I wouldn’t doubt, however, that this soon becomes a popular service.”

“Well, if you say so… Thank you so much for your time and help.”

“On the contrary, thank you for choosing our company. I hope to see you both again, you’re welcome anytime.”

Once they stepped out of the Service Centre Anna put her arms around Elsa and hugged her tight.

“That was horrible,” she, rubbing Elsa’s back. “Forgive me for putting you through that.”

Elsa kissed her head, reassuringly. “Don’t worry, love. It was just a bit weird. I really haven’t heard of this happening to anyone else, but we were definitely on the database. That’s strange. But it’s over now.”

Anna sighed. “This is the last time I take anything for free.”

The moment the girl and her element were gone, Engineer Steinherz read her scans and reports again and again. The machines couldn’t have shown incorrect information, yet there was no way this could be correct.

_It claims the sensor stung, can it feel pain? When it hears the owner’s voice its system goes overboard. Obviously elements should react to their owners’ stimuli, but this one was almost… happy, to hear her. Those peaks of activity are surely from when the girl slept with it. It obviously should show more activity during those moments, but what’s the other thing?_

With those results there was only one thing she could do. The girl and her element looked harmless, nice, charming even, but surely there’d been a reason why they had been singled out for this checkup, a procedure engineer Steinherz knew wasn’t part of any regular service.

 _It’s only a kid and her toy_ , she tried to tell herself. _All they do is talk and listen to music and cook and make love. Surely it can’t be that bad?_

She could leave them alone. Report no anomalies. But this is what she’d been trained for: quality control and the smooth running of every Ishiguro product.

And she could really do with a promotion…

She called the Monitoring Centre in Japan.

Forty-eight hours later, the Monitoring Centre had gotten them.


	9. Chapter Nine

It was swift, really, so smoothly done that later on they wondered why they hadn’t started with that in the first place.

Under the excuse of an update, a bug was slipped in Elsa’s system. Since it came from Ishiguro, her protection settings did not block it. The moment she authorized it, the bug took over her system and shut it down. When Anna got home, she found Elsa on the floor, collapsed as if she’d fainted, unresponsive to any cry or call from her.

And so, Anna did the only thing anyone would have thought of in those circumstances. She called the Ishiguro help line. Her call, expected already, was redirected to a very kind assistant who immediately offered unconditional support to get her element up and running in no time.

However, after a checkup and thorough revision of the element, it was found that the repairing process could not take place within the current location; instead, the element would have to be taken to the Japan Monitoring Centre. It wouldn’t take long, so Miss Solskinn could just relax and wait at home, and perhaps she’d like a temporary element to be sent to her house, to keep up the work in the meantime.

Anna, of course, refused to let Elsa go without her.

They were taken to the Monitoring Centre the very next day. Under any other circumstances, Anna would have been fascinated by the place –it was huge, dazzlingly white and clean, surrounded by green spaces, flowers, and fountains. Crystal walls allowed her to see much of the activity going on, scientific research carried out with the best possible equipment. Anna couldn’t help but wonder about all the work she could accomplish with those tools.

Elsa, still unconscious, was taken to the Repair Station. Anna asked if she could go in with her, but instead she was greeted by an overly courteous man everyone seemed to be afraid of. Mr. H introduced himself as Head Engineer and immediately began to work on winning Anna’s trust.

“Miss Solskinn, please be very welcome. We hope your trip was pleasant, despite the circumstances that bring you here. Allow me to tell you that there’s nothing to be worried about, what happened to your element is probably a temporary issue and it will be given the very best care. I’ll see to it personally. Would you like us to help you find accommodation during your stay?”

“I’ll be staying at the Harumi Hotel. The owner is friends with my father.”

Of course she’d be staying at the finest, most luxurious hotel in Japan. Mr. H remembered the Solskinns were a powerful family and cursed his luck.

“Ah, Miss Solskinn, then surely you’ll be more comfortable in your hotel. One of our drivers will gladly take you there.

“I’d rather stay here until I get some news about her, if you don’t mind.”

Mr. H. looked at her and saw the stubborn eyes of a rich child who’s always had everything her way. He realized he’d be unable to persuade her, and so he left her to pace up and down the hallway and went to see Mr. Yu to update him.

“The Solskinn girl is here, with her element. Everything went as planned.”

Mr. Yu peeked from behind the curtain.

“That’s her? The redhead? You’ve got to be kidding me. Please tell me we’re not making all this fuss over a child and her toy. Just send them back to their nursery and they’ll be fine.”

But Mr. H. shook his head. “Believe me, it’s much more than that. There are a thousand girls like this one out there, but the android… that’s one of a kind.”

“What makes it so important, anyway? Everyone’s so altered and worried about it…”

“It can think for itself. Make its own choices, go against given orders, feel a lot of stuff, that kind of thing.”

Mr. Yu burst in laughter. “But that’s impossible! It’s a machine, and a machine we built here! There can be nothing wrong about it. Come on! Send them home already, it’s almost their bedtime. Machines don’t think! Our androids are perfect.”

“Too perfect, it seems. Look at these. They’re early results from what we could monitor remotely, but do they tell a few things about its system and how it works around it.”

Mr. Yu began to leaf through the papers, dismissively at first, but the data soon made him pause.

“This can’t be right… It cannot override the company settings.”

“Except that it did.”

“Where is it now?”

“With the engineers. I called the best ones, they’re trying to figure it out.”

Elsa had been taken to a room that resembled that of a hospital, with beeping machines, cables, and pristine cleanliness. The bug that had shut her down has immediately deactivated and she was conscious again.

She waited with some attendants who talked a lot between them but barely seemed to notice her other than to answer her questions as curtly as they could, until a man walked in. He was relatively young, slender, and looked at her through his glasses with cold eyes that tried to be friendly.

“Hello. I’m Engineer De Vil. You must be Element J-769. I’m one of the engineers for the J-line here at Ishiguro and I’ll be working with you today.”

Elsa held out her hand. “Hello. I’m Elsa.” She attempted to smile.

The engineer observed her for a moment, then took her hand.

“Elsa. Right. Well, then, let’s get started. Ready?”

Elsa nodded, while the engineer began writing and waving people around.

“Please lie down here, elem- Elsa. We’re just going to run a few tests, make sure everything works as it should.”

She did as told, and stopped herself from protesting when sensors were attached to her temples. The tests began quite normally, a few questions here and there, copious notes from what a screen showed in beeps and coloured lines.

“Your system appears to be working just fine,” Engineer De Vil began. “But Elsa, it is said that you can feel certain emotions and sensations. Have you ever felt, say, hunger or thirst?”

“No.”

“Tiredness?”

“No.”

“Okay. Now, you have engaged in sexual intercourse with your owner, right?”

Elsa looked down, embarrassed. She hesitated for a moment, while the engineer ticked boxes on his papers and made more notes, his eyes always on her. Eventually, she nodded.

“There’s no shame in it. It’s quite normal. But tell me, Elsa, during these encounters, have you experienced any kind of pleasure?”

Elsa looked down again.

“Elsa?”

“Please, I’d rather not answer.”

But Engineer De Vil insisted. “Have you come to enjoy these encounters? To desire them? To desire _her_?”

“I don’t want to give details about that.”

“Whatever you prefer,” the engineer replied, his eyes on the screen as he made more notes. “While looking at your activity patterns we found something quite interesting. I’m looking at some records of your sexual activity, and there are high peaks in your sensors. Extremely high peaks. There’s also overheating and a partial shutdown when these peaks occur. I want you to think very carefully about this and answer as honestly as possible. Elsa, can you orgasm?”

Elsa fixed her eyes on the engineer, her words growing more confident with her anger.

“I see no reason why I should answer any of that. Whatever data you need, it’s all on the screen.”

Engineer De Vil chuckled. “Fine, fine, whatever. We’ll have plenty of time to verify that information. Moving on… pain. The first report made on you, at the Service Center, indicates that you showed signals of distress when the external sensors were attached, is that correct?”

Elsa nodded once.

“Did it happen again with these sensors?”

“Yes.”

“What’s the feeling?”

“It stings. Not much, but it’s uncomfortable.”

“Has it happened in any other situation?”

“Once I held a cup of coffee that was too hot, and my fingers hurt a little bit. But only that time, I’ve held other hot materials since then and felt nothing.”

“I see.”

Engineer De Vil made more notes and watched Elsa attentively. Then, he slapped her across the face. The blow echoed dryly around the lab. The beeping of the machine grew louder and faster.

“Why did you do that?” murmured Elsa, pressing her fingertips to her cheek.

“What did you feel?” asked Engineer De Vil, ignoring her question.

“It hurt. Why did you do it?”

“What do you mean it hurt? Did it sting?”

“It hurts, like blows hurt, and if I were human it would probably leave a bruise.”

“Are you sure it hurts? Remember not to confuse a feeling you have information about with something you’re actually experiencing yourself. You know what pain is, and you might be mistaking that knowledge with feeling real pain.”

“I know what I feel. It hurt. Why are you doing this?”

The door opened. Mr. Yu walked in, and Engineer De Vil immediately stepped back to allow him access to Elsa.

“So, Element J-769,” Mr. Yu greeted her.

“Elsa,” she corrected softly.

“How’s it going, element?”

Elsa regarded him with mistrust.

“Are you going to hit me, too?”

Mr. Yu looked at Engineer De Vil.

“It was just to measure its reactions to different stimuli, sir. Just like you ordered.”

Mr. Yu rolled his eyes and turned back to Elsa.

“Don’t worry, I promise no one will hit you again as long as you help us. This is in everyone’s interest, element, including yours.”

Engineer De Vil handed Mr. Yu the papers he’d been working on. Mr. Yu read them, his eyes traveling between the data and Elsa with growing intensity.

“Check its internal memory,” he instructed. “Get the internal chip and review all the data. Revise its programming down to the last bit of coding, and look for physical abnormalities, too. Keep us informed of everything it does and all the information you gather.”

“Of course, sir. A digital version of the scans we just performed is already available on your platforms.”

When Mr. Yu headed for the door, Elsa intercepted him.

“Where is Anna?”

“She’s fine.”

“What did you do to her?”

“I’ve told you she’s fine.”

“Can I see her?”

“I doubt she’s here anymore, she was offered the best accommodations in the city. We’ll keep her informed.”

He reached for the door again. Elsa put a hand on his arm and pulled him back.

“Why are you doing this to us? What did we ever do to you?”

Mr. Yu fixed his eyes on Elsa' hand. He freed himself and addressed the Engineer.

“Turn it off, I can’t stand its blabber.”

Once Elsa lay unconscious again, Mr. You seemed to relax.

“Someone should definitely program the next batch to be less annoying,” he huffed.

The staff celebrated his joke. On his way out, he ran a hand over Elsa’s body.

“Exquisite work of design and craft, though.”

Papers in hand, Mr. Yu headed straight to Mr. H.’s office.

“Well, you’ve seen for yourself,” said Mr. H., beaming with the excitement of having been right. “What do you think?”

“It’s worse than I thought. Never seen anything similar. It puzzles me so much how the element has been able to override every single of its settings. It’s almost as if it had free will. There doesn’t seem to be any alterations on it, yet…”

“Has its internal memory been checked?”

“I gave orders to do so. The team is probably doing it as we speak.”

“Excellent,” beamed Mr. H. “Tons of good memories, if it’s that close to its owner. It will be interesting to watch what it’s got.”

Mr. Yu made a face. “I don’t want to keep it around for too long. Who knows what’s going on with it, maybe it’s got a virus and having it under our network damages the other element. I say we get rid of it. Wipe its system, wipe its hard drives, destroy everything, even the thing itself. We’ll give its girl another one that looks exactly the same and that won’t make such a mess. The girl won’t be able to tell the difference.”

But Mr. H. hesitated. “Maybe we shouldn’t hurry and make a decision we’ll later regret.”

“What are you saying?”

“That we shouldn’t get rid of it just yet. It’s one of a kind, and might be useful for further research. Imagine the possibilities, the science of it all! That little robot will be a great lesson for all of us, in terms of electronics and robotic development. And hey, it’s gorgeous.”

Mr. Yu rolled his eyes. “You know I don’t use them for that. It’s pretty, yes, but nothing compares to a real woman’s warmth. Anyway, I guess you’re right. It’s under our control now, it can’t do much for itself. We’ll at least learn what happened with it, and how never to have one like it again. But let me send the girl on her way. A child like her has nothing to do with men’s business. We’ll call her back when we need her.”

Mr. Yu went to the hallway, where Anna was still pacing anxiously. She ran to him as soon as she spotted him.

“How is Elsa?”

“There appears to be a bug and some sort of virus affecting your element. We’re doing everything we can to figure it out and decode it. Perhaps you would like to go home, and your element will be sent to you as soon as possible.”

“I’d rather stay here with her.”

“Miss, I assure you that won’t be at all necessary-”

“I’m staying.”

“Miss, for security and protocol reasons it would be better if you tried to get some rest. There’s no point in you being here, worrying. Everything is being taken care of. You’re staying at the Harumi, right? We’ll make sure to send complimentary services and products to your room. Enjoy the city, Miss Solskinn. We’ll stay in touch.”

Anna realized there wasn’t much she could do. She knew about machine bugs, and how difficult it was to get rid of them sometimes. Grudgingly, she accepted Mr. Yu’s offers and courtesies.

He offered to walk her to the door, but Anna was suddenly in desperate need to be alone. She walked through the garden that led to the main gate, purposefully ignoring the beauty of the flowers that surrounded her. That’s when she heard the voice behind her.

“Hello, gorgeous. I told you we’d meet again.”

She didn’t need to look to know exactly who it was. He’d always loved sneaking behind her, literally and metaphorically. Still, she turned around slowly, giving him time to evaporate before she had to face him. But he didn’t, and Anna found herself looking at his mocking eyes.

“Hans.”


End file.
